Yugioh s3
by Mitsuki Horenake
Summary: With the enemy near their reach, all Rune and her friends have to do is stop Ranile from doing his evil plan of revenge. But who is the revenge FOR anyway?
1. The Start of Everything

**It's my Yu-gi-oh fanfic! Woo hoo! I'll try to make it as little Mary Sue as I can possibly make it. So let's go!**

**BTW, this fanfic takes place in an alternate dimension that is similar to the original Yu-gi-oh. HOWEVER, they will not lead to Yu-gi-oh GX whatsoever. OK…maybe 5Ds…wait, not **_**even**_** 5Ds! So yeah, this is full-blown Yu-gi-oh, no doubt about that.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!**

**------**

_A long time ago, in the sandy deserts of Egypt, a great and terrible evil threatened to engulf the world into shadows. Just when all hope was going to be lost, one young and brave pharaoh sacrificed his freedom to seal this evil away into seven mystical objects called the __**Millennium Items.**__ All seven pieces have their own unique mystical power, and because of that, many have risked their lives to seek out this power._

_Five thousand years later, a young boy by the name of Yugi Motou completed and unlocked the power of the strongest of these items: the __**Millennium Puzzle**__, unlocking the evil that had been sealed away and the soul of the pharaoh that had been sealed with it. After countless trials and battles, he succeeded in destroying this powerful evil for good and sent the pharaoh to his eternal rest. On the side note, Yugi had inherited the title from the pharaoh and became the King of Games._

_Then, two years after that day, Yugi Motou had mysteriously vanished…_

**------**

**DOMINO HIGH 3:00 PM**

"Aw man…! I lost _again!_ I must really suck at this game!"

The girl cried quietly over her desk, her blue braid streaming over her shoulder. The cards strewn over the desks fluttered gently as she sighed out in silent pain and submission.

"You don't suck." Another girl said, her red pigtails bouncing. "Tsubasa is just better than you. Heck, he's better than the rest of us."

"You don't have to say it like that, Aira." The man across from the blue-haired girl said, his metallic silver hair shining beautifully in the sunlight. "Her deck isn't all that bad. It's just that you never change your battle strategy. All you ever try to do is whittle down your opponent's life points the original way by monster attacks. You do realize that they created Spell cards that have the same effect, right?"

"Yeah…" The blue-haired girl looked up while adjusting her glasses. "But I don't have any cards like that."

"Tell you what, Rune." Tsubasa gathered up his deck. "There's a card shop just a few blocks from here. They call it the **Kame Game Shop**. I got most of my cards from that shop. It should work wonders on your deck."

"The **Kame****?** You serious?" Aira leaned on the desk. "I mean, I don't have any problems with that, but isn't that old guy that run that place a little…crazy?"

"Crazy?" Rune sat up and gathered her deck. "What, like he participates in sadistic rituals or something?"

"He's in mourning, Aira." Tsubasa leaned back on his chair. "Remember? The King of Games himself used to go to that shop. Once he stopped going there, the business basically fell onto its knees. But you can't deny that he has some really good cards on him."

"Well then…crazy or not, he has cards that I need." Rune stood up. "I'm going to the Kame after school. And none of you are stopping me!"

**------**

**KAME GAME SHOP 3:27 PM**

_OK…maybe someone should've stopped me._

She stared quietly at the small building in front of her. The shop had a huge sign on it that said the word "GAME" on it, but it looked more like a house than a card shop. Sighing, she hesitated before finally pushing the door open.

"Welcome!" A voice echoed from the counter. "Ooh, a young lady! What can I do for you?"

Run took a good look at the man in front of her. He was like any other old man, small and slightly hunched over with gray hair and green overalls. The front of his hair was spiked up in such a weird way that it caught her attention. What was weirder was that his eyes were a strange purple, and they were looking at her like he wanted to squeeze her wallet dry. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"Well, I'm actually…looking for some cards." She said. "You see, I have some problems with my deck and I need some advice."

"Advice, you say? Well then, let me look at your cards."

She hesitated as well before she took the cards from her case and handed it to the old man. He took it with steady hands and skimmed the cards one by one. The reactions on his face kept changing one by one, which further scared her. Finally, he gave the deck back to her, which calmed her down.

"Your deck isn't all that bad. The fact that most of your monsters are Effect type means that you have thought this deck out through." The old man said. "But it lacks proper Spells and Traps. Most that you have deal with destroying cards and raising your monster's ATK. You should focus more on cards that affect your opponents, such as the Ojama King and the Delta Attack. See? Right here."

"Oh yeah." Rune leaned forward. "It only works if those three Ojamas are on your side of the field, right? Wouldn't that mean that I would need a card that protects against monster attacks, like Mirror Force and Negate Attack?"

"Oh ho ho! You don't have to limit yourself to just those two cards!" The man chuckled. "Here, these two cards are a better combination. They're a little harder to pull off, but it will work if used correctly."

"Hm…Marshmallon and Marshmallon Glasses…Oh yeah, that is a good combo!" Rune remarked. "But…hm…come to think of it, I'll take these two cards. I'll see if there're any others that I'll need. Hold on a sec."

The old man watched quietly as the young teenager skimmed the shelves for any clue or hint of a combo that would be useful for her deck. Every now and then she would pull out her own deck and compare the cards there. She grabbed a few cards and compared them, muttering slowly to herself.

_No way! He has the Unity Spell Card!_ She remarked. _This will work WONDERS with my White Magician Pikeru card! Why do people stop coming here? This place has the best cards on the face of Japan, if not the world over!_

"You know…you remind me of my grandson."

"Eh?" Rune looked up from her search.

"My grandson." The old man smiled. "He's a duelist, just like you. One of the best, I might add. Four years ago, he left home, never to return again. He would always be so addicted to his cards, willing to waste all of his money to do the best."

"Your grandson?" She sighed. "Oh…I'm sorry."

"He'll come around sooner or later. He'll need to get the publicity off his deck!" He laughed.

"His…deck?" Rune blinked.

"Yes. You see, since he's so popular, his cards have been the most sought-after objects in the dueling world!" The old man smiled. "The most popular card would have to be his Dark Magician. It's his most attached card."

"The Dark Magician…isn't that a Normal type?" Rune turned to him. "He does realize that it's a pretty vulnerable card if it doesn't have an effect on it."

"That's why the game has Spell and Trap cards!" The old man laughed. "There're a lot of people out there that are working for the money, so I should warn you: the true copy of my grandson's Dark Magician has a little stain near the ATK symbol. I never really knew what it was, but it was the only indication that the card was really his."

"A stain…got it." Rune dumped her choices on the counter. "I want all of these please."

She quickly paid for the cards and tried her best to store them away in one of her pockets. After a few failed attempts, she sighed with relief, grabbed her bag, and headed out toward the door. She stopped and turned around.

"By the way, my name is Rune. Rune Washiku."

"And my name is Solomon Motou. But you can call me Solomon."

"Solomon…right."

**------**

**DOMINO BOARDWALK 4:49 PM**

_OK, replace this card with this card…um…I'm not taking out this card, no way…hm…making card decks is hard._

She walked quietly through the streets, the sun streaking orange and yellow in the sky, signaling the end of the day. Few people were on the boardwalk at the time, so she had all the time in the world to walk home.

_Poor Solomon…losing his grandson like that._ She paused. _Whoa…don't tell me that I'm gonna be like that when I grow up. Maybe I should take a break or something._

Before she knew it, a small breeze blew from the ocean, and a pulse erupted in her ears. At the same time, a thin figure flew through the air. An illegible whisper echoed in the wind, and her arm darted out through the mysterious barriers, grabbing the image in the air. Everything snapped back into reality, and her arm lowered down to her eye level.

_It's a Duel Monsters Card._ She blinked. _Whoa…the Dark Magician!_

She suddenly had the thought to search for the mysterious stain that Solomon was talking about. Staring at the ATK symbol, she nearly gasped. There was a strange black mark erupting from the box. It was too small for it to be a blood stain. She dismissed it to be an ink stain.

_This…is definitely the card that Solomon was talking about…_ Rune gasped in her head. _Wait! That would mean that this is his grandson's card! I…I should probably head back and show him. Mom shouldn't be home for another hour or two, so maybe I could…_

She turned around and began heading back to the Kame.

_**Who…are you?**_

She froze. Freaking out slowly, she darted her head around. There was no one that seemed to be looking for her, just the few people that would be walking on the boardwalk with her. She found herself cringing a little bit.

_On second thought…the Kame won't be moving anytime soon. Tomorrow's Saturday, so I should hit his place first thing tomorrow._

**------**

**SOMEWHERE ELSE…IN A MYSTERIOUS LOCATION. 4:38 PM**

**"No…impossible! You lost him?!"**

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know that he would have that much power to escape the cage…"

**"I'm always surrounded by fools! Don't you realize that he is the key to our plan?! Without him, the last four years would've been meaningless!"**

"Forgive me, sir. I will search for him right away."

**"You better, slave! Bring me the key! Bring me Yugi Motou!"**

**------**

**RUNE'S BEDROOM 8:19 PM**

_So this is the well-sought Dark Magician Card. Looks really used up._

Rune stared quietly at the card in front of her. She was lying stomach first on her bed, the Dark Magician card lying on her pillow. The card didn't do anything special like she thought it would, but it did feel a little…bizarre. Like there was someone there that was staring right back at her. She adjusted her pajama sleeve.

_"So you're the Dark Magician, huh?"_ She whispered. _"You have an original owner, right? I don't know anything about him, but I think I know someone that might have some form of connection to him. His name is Solomon Motou, and he's the owner of the local Game shop a few blocks from here. Unless he's lying to me, your owner has to be the grandson, right? Sorry, I don't really know his name."_

She grabbed the card and rolled over onto her back, the card held up by her outstretched hand.

_Wow, Rune. You're talking to a freaking CARD. What's gotten into you? This isn't like you. _She sighed. _Oh well. Guess it has something to do with having a rare card in your possession. I should probably hide this…_

She sat up and grabbed her thigh pack, containing her deck. She stared at the window for a few seconds before sliding the Dark Magician into her pack and placing it at the head of her bed. She found herself smiling.

"Well then…good night, you guys. Hope you don't mind the new camper."

She rolled over onto her side and fell right asleep. A few seconds, the card deck began to glow a soft yellow. A shadow of a young boy erupted onto the wall.

_**Grandpa…?**_

**------**

**3:42 AM**

_Eh…? Where the heck am I?_

She sat up from her bed, realizing that she wasn't in her room. Instead, she was in a fancy room, like a room that was in a castle. And she was wide awake. Grabbing her card pack and strapping it around her thigh, she peeked through the bedroom door.

_**This way…**_

She nearly froze. She had to gather herself so that she wouldn't pass out.

_**I'm right here…**_

_OK…I'm dreaming._ She thought. _Well, if I'm dreaming, then that means that I can't get hurt! I can go without hesitation!_

Despite the pep talk, she had to force herself out of the bedroom and walk toward the source of the voice. It kept repeating the same phrases over and over again, and it was echoing off the walls as if there was no indication where it was coming from. Finally, she found a wall in front of her. It had a gigantic Egyptian eye on it. Almost immediately, she reached out to it.

_**"Don't touch it. You might enter the Shadow Realm if you do."**_

__She freaked out, backing away from it. Turning around, she saw a young man staring back at her. His outfit was a school uniform, which made her question whether he goes to her school at all. His purple eyes were staring back at her, yet they didn't look murderous.

"Uh…what do you mean by that?"

_**"That symbol…it's a protection spell. Unfortunately, it doesn't know you that well, so you might fall victim to it."**_

__"Well…this is just a dream, so I should be fine even if I do touch it, right?"

_**"That's what you would think. But you can actually die if you touch it."**_

___Oh, that is just great. _"Who are you, anyway? And what are you doing in my dream?"

_**"I am the Dark Magician. And as for your second question, I can't answer that."**_

"Dark Magician? You don't look like the Dark Magician on the card."

_**"I inhabit it. It's my body."**_

___O…K…I think I'm going crazy. _"So you're the Dark Magician, even though it doesn't look anything like you?"

_**"I know it sounds confusing, but yes, I am the Dark Magician."**_

__"Huh. Well, do you know your original owner? Anything about his physical appearance at all, like height, eye color…hair?"

_**"What do you mean?"**_

__"Um…OK, never mind. Come to think of it, do you know a man named Solomon Motou?"

_**"…Grandpa? You know him?"**_

___Grandpa? Is this card seriously referring to himself as that guy's grandson? _"Wait…so you do know him?"

_**"Of course I know him. I trust him with my life."**_

__"Well, that's good. I'm going back to his shop tomorrow to return you, since I think you're actually his card, so I hope you don't mind."

_**"No, I don't mind…thank you…"**_

**------**

**And that's the end of the first chapter! OK, I have to say the sad part: since I'm no Duel Monsters fanatic, I will focus on a different style of Yu-gi-oh dueling. Anyone who's ever played Duelist of the Rose or Forbidden Kingdom will have an idea on how that would work. I hope you guys don't mind!**


	2. The First Duel

**The main chapter begins! I'm actually happy on how this is turning out…I think.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH.**

**------**

**RUNE'S BEDROOM 7:09 AM**

She woke up more tired than when she fell asleep. Sitting up, she saw the sun coming out slowly from the window, shining onto her desk and the card pack sitting nicely on top of it. She pulled her legs off the bed and grumbled slowly to herself.

_You obviously ate something bad, Rune._ She thought. _First you were talking to a rare card, and then you dream of the card talking back to you. You obviously have to get rid of it somehow._

She stretched, yawning a little bit, and walked to her closet to get her clothes. She quickly pushed away her school uniform and grabbed her other outfit.

_I really hope that Solomon is at the Game shop._ She begged. _He'd really appreciate me returning his grandson's rarest card back to him. At least…I hope so._

"Rune!" A knock echoed at the doorway.

"Yeah, mom?" She responded.

"Your friends are here!" The mom answered. "By the way, Rune, I never knew that you had such a hot stud as a friend! And he's such a gentleman! I won't object your decision if you decide to date him!"

_**"MOM!**_ _**WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN?!"**_

**------**

**DOMINO STREETS 7:30 AM**

"You have a nice home, Rune." Aira grinned.

"Thanks." Rune sighed. "It's small, so mom never really likes it if I bring friends over. By the way, how in the world did you find out where I live?"

"Well…we asked around." Tsubasa answered.

Rune barely noticed Tsubasa rub his right eye, hidden under his bright silver hair. He had been blind in his right eye ever since two years ago, around the same time that they met and became friends. She began wondering how he actually got blind.

"So…you got any plans?" She asked.

"We wanted to go card shopping with you, just for the heck of it." Aira chuckled.

"Thanks. I was just about to go there, anyway." Rune stroked the card pack. "I…wanted to have another look around."

"Uh…OK." Aira grinned. "No problem there, right Tsubasa?"

"I have no objections." He smiled.

_Phew. That was a close one._ Rune sighed. _At least I can get Solomon his card behind their backs. Forgive me you guys…_

"What's wrong with you?" Tsubasa stared at her. "You have bags under your eyes."

"Huh? Oh yeah…I just had a really weird dream last night, that's all." She sighed. "It was in a castle and I was talking to some guy that claimed he was the Dark Magician even though he didn't look anything like him!" _Better leave out the details…like that he thinks that he's the grandson of Solomon…_

"Creepy fan boy, huh?" Aira sighed. "There's always one, trying to be a Dark Magician just to get with a Dark Magician Girl cosplayer. It's always the same…"

"Ugh…don't remind me." Rune sighed.

"Excuse me, you three. But do you have a moment?"

They looked up from their pack and saw a young man standing in front of them. He had a white robe on his frame, and his hair was an ordinary spiky blond, but his eyes looked dead, and on his forehead was a strange eye colored a dim purple and yellow. He had a weird grin on his face. Next to her, Rune saw Tsubasa's fist tighten.

"What can we do for you?" He asked casually, holding back whatever he was holding.

"I'm looking for a card I lost. It's the Dark Magician card." The man chuckled creepily. "I don't suppose any of you guys have it."

Everyone looked at each other, not having a clue what he was talking about. Rune, however, was doing her very best to hold back the shock and fear that was bubbling up to her facial muscles. She was tense.

_Oh crap! This guy's after Solomon's card!_ She thought. _And that symbol on his forehead…what does that even mean?_

"_**That mark…they're the ones that are…"**_

___Huh? What the-? For some reason…I'm scared of this guy. OK, Rune, relax. It's probably because of the robe. He is kinda intimidating…_

"Do any of you guys know what I'm talking about?" The man asked.

"Nope. Sorry." Aira said in her usual voice. "But if we do run across something that seems closer to what you're mentioning, we'll be sure to contact you."

"Are you sure…?" The man grinned. "Well, if that doesn't help, then perhaps we can duel…Rune Washiku."

Everyone froze as they all looked at a shocked Rune. She tried her best to hold back her shock.

"H-how do you know my name?" She gasped out.

"I always know the name of my opponents." The man grinned. "So…shall we duel?"

"But…I don't have a duel disk." Rune blinked. "And by the look of it, you don't have one either.

"No worries. We don't need one…not where we're going."

The air around them suddenly tightened as purple shadows crept from the black shadows form the morning light. Soon, the area around them vanished, and what was left were purple clouds following close to the victims.

"Holy crap! Are we flying?!" Aira looked to the ground. "There's no ground!"

"What the heck…?" Tsubasa looked around.

_Shadows…_ Rune blinked. _This must be the Shadow Realm…that place that the Dark Magician said I would fall into if…_

"You never played Duel Monsters like this before." The man lifted up his deck. "We each play with 10000 MP. First to hit 0 loses. And believe me…you don't want to lose in this world."

_What the heck is he talking about…?_ Rune blinked. _MP? Doesn't he mean Life Points? Maybe they're the same thing…_

"Kick his ass, Rune!" Aira cheered. "So we can get out of this crazy place!"

_Where the heck are we? Is this even back in Japan at all? And what's with the clouds?_

"_**They're the ones that…"**_

She didn't know what just happened, but she found herself go into deep loathing toward the man. She just wanted to kick the living crap out of him in whatever game he was playing. But she knew that it was a bad idea. Concerning that she has no idea where she was in the first place.

"Since this is your first time playing this type of game, I guess I can give you a few pointers." The man grinned. "You should look through your deck for your Soul Card. They'll be your main duel monster. As for me, I already know mine."

He drew a single card and grinned as the shadows around them began to swirl around the card. After a few seconds, a huge ant-like creature roared behind his figure.

"It's…real?!" Rune stepped back.

"It's the Anteatereatingant Effect Card." Tsubasa said simply. "Those shadows are making the image real…just like the Duel Disks in KaibaCorp."

"Um…" Aira blinked. "I don't think it's an illusion, Tsubasa!"

"So then…" The man turned to Rune. "Choose your Soul Card."

Rune blinked as she stared at her deck in her hand. She skimmed the deck repeatedly for whatever might seem to count as a "Soul Card", but nothing was coming to mind.

_Ugh…_ She sighed. _OK, all he did was draw a card, right? Maybe I should do that!_

"_**Heart of the cards…guide her…"**_

She felt a pulse in her deck as she shuffled it and held the top card. Biting her lip, she drew her card and stared at it, the scarcity of light surrounding her hand as the card vanished. The image of her card appeared behind her.

"Magician's Valkyria?" Aira turned to Tsubasa. "Hey, there's no way that it could defeat that bug thing! Isn't her attack lower than it?"

"Yes…" Tsubasa said. "But there's something else going on here. Look at him. He doesn't look cocky."

"So, that's your monster. I see." The man's deck levitated in front of him. "Well then, perhaps we should begin choosing our Court. Have fun trying to find that out!"

Four monsters began pouring out of the man's deck, revealing the strongest monsters that she'd ever seen. Rune backed up in panic.

"What're those monsters?!" Aira panicked.

"Hm…" Tsubasa looked calmly at them. "Sasuke Samurai #2…Gravity Behemon…Hannibal Necromancer…and Man-Eater Bug. It doesn't look like he thought this set-up through."

"Uh…Tsubasa? How are you so calm?!" Aira asked.

"What?" He shrugged. "It's no good panicking around this situation. Besides, if we panic, there's a good chance that Rune will panic as well."

**------**

_OK…uh…I just choose my strongest cards, right? That makes sense!_

"_**Oh no…she's not getting the situation at all! I have to…!"**_

"_Lady Rune…"_

_Huh?_ Rune looked around. _Who's there?_

"_I am the Magician's Valkyria, your Soul Card. Do not turn around. If you wish, I can help you in this situation, since this is your first time."_

_So…you know what I have to do?_

"_Of course. I know your cards more than anything. Lift your hands and pour your heart into it."_

"_**Magician's Valkyria…if you can hear me…."**_

She held her breath and lifted her deck, seeing the figure of her Soul Card touch the top of it. Her deck began glowing, and four random monsters formed around her. She turned her head to confirm them.

_Dark Magician…Nova Summoner…White Magician Pikeru…and Splendid Venus. OK…that doesn't seem to be bad choices. Not bad, MV._

"_Thank you, Lady Rune…?"_

She was staring at the Dark Magician, his back still to Rune, so she couldn't see his face. No one seemed surprised, so Rune dismissed her shocked face as foggy glasses. However, he turned his head and faced her, causing her to gasp and nearly scream. She grabbed her glasses and cleaned them, shoving them back on her face, and realizing that her eyes weren't cheating on her.

The face of the Dark Magician was different from the one on the card.

In fact…

"It's you…" She straightened out. "The one from my dream…"

"Eh?! You mean the creepy fanboy?" Aira blinked. "No way! He looks as ordinary as any other Dark Magician!"

"Wait…you can't-?!" Rune blinked. _But he looks DIFFERENT!_

"Stop stalling!" The man called. "You still have me to handle! And it's time to duel!"

The air around them began to stiffen as the ground underneath them faded out, revealing a coliseum floor. The Anteatereatingant monster stood in front of him, with the rest of his summonsed monsters standing beside them as if he summoned them normally in an ordinary duel. She nodded at her card, and the Magician's Valkyria floated in front of her, her other cards joining suit.

"You probably don't know how to play this type, so just to be nice, maybe I should explain the rules." He grinned. "As you can see, we have five main monster cards on our field, known as the **Court** and our **Soul Card**. These monsters will stay on the field during the whole duel, where all they do is duke it out. On the other hand, we each have 10000 MP, which we lose every time we activate a Spell or Trap Card or when we decide to use Monster Effects. First one to lose all five of their court and soul cards or get their MP to 0 loses. By the way, in this world, ATK and DEF points don't matter as much as it used to be. It only means how quickly we can eliminate our enemies. In other words, my Gravity Behemon can easily wipe out your White Magician Pikeru, but combine its power with my Man-Eater Bug and Hannibal Necromancer…and I can eliminate your Nova Summoner as well!"

"Say what?!"

"Exactly! Since all three of my monsters are attacking at the same time, their ATK add up together for a combined total of 4150! And that barely can qualify for your measly ATK of those two cards, which is what, 2600? And they can't reduce the effect that they'll have, since their DEF would only add up to 800! They'll be eliminated on the spot!"

The three monsters roared as they charged toward their prey. The White Magician Pikeru was crying in fear, but the Nova Summoner stood in front, ready to protect her.

"Not so fast!" Rune spat. "You said that we can combine our DEF to protect our monsters, right? That would mean that I can combine my DEF as well!"

"Your monsters are too far away to combine their DEF!" The man laughed. "And by the way, even if you tried, I would just use my Rush Recklessly Card to make their attack unstoppable!"

_So if I can't defend…_ "I'll counterattack!" She darted her hand up in the air. "Magician's Valkyria! Protect my monsters!"

She flew over her head and landed in front of her two monsters. They both fused their magic into her staff and she blasted them away. They flew back, which in turn made the man cringe in pain.

**????? MP: 9950**

**Rune's MP: 8500**

"Way to go, Rune!" Aira cheered. "You got the gist of it!"

"And to counteract my loss of MP, I activate my White Magician Pikeru's special ability! And since this effect involves MP recovery, I don't have to pay for it!" _But how do I know that?_

The White Magician Pikeru flew into the air and chanted with her staff. Right then and there, bits of light flew over Rune's head, and she felt herself be recharged by her mystic ability. She felt even more confident than before.

**Rune's MP: 10500**

_Smart! _Tsubasa grinned. _Rune's a beginner in this type of dueling, so she doesn't know how to limit her abilities in this type of situation. Therefore, by using the White Magician Pikeru's Special Ability, she doesn't have to worry about her MP as much as her opponent._

"Not bad…but like they say, divide and counter!" The man lifted his arm. "Man-Eater Bug! I activate _**your**_ Effect! Destroy the Dark Magician!"

**????? MP: 6950**

"This isn't good." Tsubasa growled. "We all know Man-Eater Bug's special ability."

"Crap!" Aira panicked. "He's going after Dark Magician, right?!"

"Exactly…" _But why the Dark Magician? Shouldn't he go after the White Magician Pikeru?_

The Man-Eater Bug reared back and charged toward the target. Rune blinked as she turned her head, and for a split second, she heard him scream.

"_Lady Rune! He's…!"_

_No! I can't let my Dark Magician be destroyed! _"I activate a Field Spell!" Rune reared back. "Sanctuary in the Sky!"

**Rune's MP: 9500**

The ground around them began to filter away as a huge castle shot out from behind her. The man stared at it in confusion as white clouds surrounded his location.

"A field spell?!" Aira blinked. "What's that got to do with whatever she's planning?!"

"_Brilliant, Lady Rune!" _Magician's Valkyria cheered.

"You do realize that you just wasted a chunk of your MP, right?" The man laughed. "That won't help your Dark Magician survive, right? He's not even a Fairy Type Monster!"

"I know, but you're not aiming at him, right?"

He looked and gasped as the Man-Eater Bug suddenly crashed head-first into the Nova Summoner. It was eliminated immediately, throwing the Dark Magician back.

"No! I wanted your Dark Magician!" He growled.

"Now's your chance!" Rune grinned. "Dark Magician! Counterattack, now!"

The magician nodded as he rose his staff in the air, and flew backward. Next to him, he saw the Splendid Venus and the Magician's Valkyria join him.

"_**Dark Magic Attack!"**_

Their combined efforts went crazy on their foe, and the bug slithered back in pain and discomfort. The man could only growl.

**????? MP: 650**

**Rune's MP: 8000**

"Whoa! A major blow, just like that!" Aira cheered. "This is guy's getting pummeled before his very eyes!"

"And that's not all!" Rune lifted her deck. "I activate my Nova Summoner's special ability! There's a reason why I took up my Sanctuary in the Sky! By using that, I can Special Summon Airknight Parshath on the field!"

The floor below her began to glow like crazy, and a horseman darted out of the ground. It lifted its spear in glory.

**Rune's MP: 7000**

"_**You're doing great, Rune!"**_

"_I add to that, Lady Rune!"_

"Thanks, you guys…MV…" Rune blinked. "Dark Magician."

"Not bad…" He growled. "But not good enough!"

Looking behind her, she saw Gravity Behemoth jump over her head, biting her back. She tumbled down to the ground as it jumped over their heads onto the man's side of the field.

**Rune's MP: 4700**

"Are you serious?!" Aira gasped. "That's a huge chunk as it is!"

"But…you're wide open!" Rune jumped to her feet. "Let's go!"

The man turned around to see White Magician Pikeru grinning. Lifting her staff, she blasted the man with a bright ray of light. The shadows dissipated around him as he fell to his knees.

**????? MP: 0**

"Yes! You did it!" Aira cheered.

She ran to hug Rune as the monsters that they summoned vanished into their card decks. Rune looked at the Magician's Valkyria, who nodded a job well done before vanishing. The Dark Magician vanished before she could find him.

"Good job." The man smiled, his head still down. "I'm glad that it was you he chose."


	3. An Unwelcome Return

**Sorry for the really slow updates. I've been revising this thing about a billion trillion times before I approve of it. I seriously want this to be as accurate as I could possibly make it. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! YOU'LL THANK ME LATER WHEN YOU READ THIS.**

**FLAMING COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED. SO PLEASE DON'T FLAME.**

**------**

"Good job. I'm glad it was you he chose."

Everyone turned to the young man as he lifted his finger and magically removed the symbol from his forehead. His eyes suddenly became bright with life, and there was a huge grin on his face.

"I was worried at the beginning there, but then you suddenly knew the rules to the game." He laughed. "That means that he was able to talk to you and explain the rules to you, right?"

The trio looked at each other, wanting to say something, but apparently couldn't find the words to say anything. Every now and then, Aira would open her mouth, but whatever she wanted to say slipped out of her mind, leaving her unable to say what she wanted to.

"So…you were testing her?" Tsubasa finally said.

"Yeah." The man laughed. "Sorry about all the dramatic stuff. I had to make it as authentic to the real thing as possible."

"_**Authentic?!"**_ Aira yelled. "To what?! Satanist rituals?!"

"No…" The man's face turned grave. "The Shadow Games."

Just then, Rune felt a pulse throb in her veins. A fear of dread flowed through her bloodstream, like those words in itself is a thing worth dreading. However, confusion entered her mind.

_I thought the Shadow Games were over and done with!_ Her mind suddenly voiced out. _Wait…Shadow Games?_

"Shadow Games?" Tsubasa blinked. "What are they?"

"Well, I would tell you right now, but I think you guys were heading off somewhere." The man grinned again. "I don't want to be intruding on your lifestyles, but then again, you probably want answers. We should take a walk."

**------**

**DOMINO STREETS 9:54 AM**

"Who the heck are you anyway?" Aira asked.

"Me? Oh yeah, sorry about that. My name is Sora Hitsukari, a fellow duelist such as yourselves and a guardian of the Chosen One."

Rune walked silently with her comrades. For some odd reason, she didn't know what he meant, and yet she knew what the Shadow Games were. Even though she was pretty sure she never saw one before.

"The…Chosen One?" Tsubasa blinked in confusion.

"The one chosen to wield the Millennium Puzzle." Sora looked up into the sky. "Did you know that 5000 years ago, the ancient pharaohs of Egypt played Duel Monsters just like today? Only the way they played it used tons of evil magic. In which case, one pharaoh bravely used his powers to seal away the magic into seven golden objects that people now know as the Millennium Items."

"Oh yeah, those things." Aira blinked. "I remember seeing something like that when they had an Egyptian exhibit a few years ago. They were made out of pure gold and many people wanted it for their price range."

"Well, sure, they would make anyone rich, but they were the keys to the ancient evil that, when enough is accumulated, would plunge the whole world into darkness. And they would do that…by using the Shadow Games."

The three of them walked silently as the man called Sora walked with glee down the Domino pathway. Suddenly, he turned and grinned.

"Don't look so glum." He said. "That's why the Millennium Items were created, in the case that those games would pop up again. And the main weapon against the Shadow Games was the very Millennium Item that the pharaoh had used half a millennia ago-"

"The Millennium Puzzle?" Rune asked, adjusting her glasses.

"Precisely." He answered. "The wielder of the Millennium Puzzle is said to be granted powers beyond his wildest dreams. You already know a famous wielder of the puzzle. You should know him as the King of Games."

"No way! The King of Games had the Millennium Puzzle?!" Aira gasped.

"Yep." Sora continued his walking. "And the legends stated that when the Shadow Games returned, the pharaoh would return as well. As a result, my ancient ancestors were charged with finding any sign of the Shadow Games in this world. I only know of another family involved with the pharaoh, and from what my parents could tell me, they were to guard the pharaoh's tomb until his return. When I heard from one of their servants that the pharaoh had passed on, I thought that my duty as a guardian was over and done with. But…"

"But…?" Tsubasa asked. "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah." Sora turned around. "When the pharaoh is done with what he has to do, he would finally rest in peace in the afterlife, and the Millennium Items will be sealed away for all eternity, having fulfilled their purpose. But what we later found out was that…well, when the Millennium Items were sent away to their resting place…someone was waiting there."

"So someone was expecting the pharaoh to move on." Tsubasa stated.

"That's what I want to say." Sora said. "And whoever did it was really smart too, waiting for the pharaoh to move on before he makes his strike. And now…it seems as if this being is corrupting minds in order to fulfill his purpose."

"Which, if I want to guess, would be world domination, right? Cause ancient bad guys are generic that way." Aira blurted.

"That could be it." Sora laughed. "But what's worse…we don't have the means to even fight this off, much less destroy it."

Aira's cheeky grin quickly faded, and she stood there with a face of blank shock.

"Not so generic now, huh?" Tsubasa spat.

"Don't start." Aira sighed.

Rune adjusted her glasses again as she tried to sort out what Sora had told them.

_So…there were items that held back a terrible evil, but someone sealed them away. And then, 5000 years later, they got released, only to be sealed away permanently. And now, from what I'm hearing, someone found out how to retake that power! _She sighed. _If only-_

She blinked, as if suddenly realizing something.

"Hey, wait!" She gasped. "Couldn't we just find the Millennium Items again?"

The three of them stared at the blue-haired girl, who paused and rubbed her glasses in embarrassment. Sora rubbed his chin.

"We tried that, Rune." He said. "But those items, if what I heard is correct, are still sealed away. We can't use them."

"Well, that sucks." Aira turned around. "Then again, couldn't we just beat them at their own game?"

"It's risky…but it's our only choice." Sora sighed. "This is especially aimed at you, Rune. As for you two, I'm giving you guys the same warning, since you're related to Rune. Knowing the type of power that they have, they might start coming after you."

"Got it." Tsubasa said.

"Hey, I have a name, you know. It's Aira. Aira Tsumoyo!"

"Aira." Sora nodded. "Got it. By the way, where the heck are we going, Rune?"

"Huh?" Rune adjusted her glasses. "Oh, right. We're heading to the Kame Game Shop cause I think I have a card that belongs to his grandson."

"Oh, I see." Sora grinned. "All right. Lead the way."

**------**

**KAME GAME SHOP 10:07 AM**

She knocked slowly on the door before opening it. The store was empty when the four of them walked in.

"No one's here." Rune looked around.

"That's odd. Don't stores lock their doors when they're closed?" Aira looked around.

"I don't think it's anything serious." Tsubasa chuckled.

Everyone looked around as an old man suddenly crashed through the back area and rushed up to the counter. He blinked and stared at the four of them before chuckling like he originally does.

"Well, well! You're back! And look! You have friends!"

"Yeah, that's us." Rune smiled. "Oh yeah, I think I have something from your grandson's. I'm not sure, and I was hoping that you can take a look at it."

Solomon looked as she dug around and pulled out the Dark Magician Card from her card pack. She lifted it to him, which he took with shaking hands. Her friends stared in blank shock.

"I just found it while I was walking home yesterday." Rune explained. "It had a weird stain on the corner, so I thought about how it could be your grandson's."

Solomon stared at the card with watering eyes.

"This is it…" He sobbed. "This is my grandson's card."

"Grandson?" Sora looked at it, and then back at Solomon. "Hey, not to sound a little pushy or anything, but your grandson's name doesn't happen to be…Yugi Motou, is it?"

Everyone looked at him in silence, but mostly shock.

"Yes…" Solomon answered after a while. "Why do you ask?"

"Hm…" Sora lifted his hand. "Rune, can I look at that card?"

Rune blinked for a few seconds before allowing him to hold it. From the corner of her eye, Tsubasa moved to block to doorway, in case he would decide to keep it and suddenly hightail out of there.

But he didn't. He gave it right back to Rune, a grave look on his face.

"Sir, if I may say this to you with the utmost seriousness…there are a lot of people out there that are after this card." He warned.

"What?" He suddenly laughed. "Well, of course there are people after that card! It is the Dark Magician!"

"No. What I mean is…"

"Are we still talking about that person who's after the Millennium Items?" Tsubasa asked.

The mood in the room suddenly became tense. Solomon's cheery face suddenly became tight, glaring at Sora.

"How do you know of the Millennium Items and their power?" He asked.

"Solomon…am I right?" Sora turned completely to him. "You out of all people must know the importance of the Millennium Items and their powers, since your grandson was the one who held the ultimate power."

"I asked you before. How do you know?!"

Everyone stared at Sora, who was quiet. Then, slowly, he turned around and looked at Rune straight in the eye.

"I know the person that this evil force is manipulating." He answered. "He's my twin brother."

**------**

**RUNE'S BEDROOM 9:36 PM**

_So…Sora's twin brother is searching for the Millennium Items for the evil force that was sealed away…_

Rune stared at her ceiling from her bed, watching the swirling circles of leaves' shadows from outside her window reflect lightly onto the light blue paint.

"_If that man was to be successful…it could mean the end of the world as we know it."_

She jumped into a sitting position, shocked that an intruder might be in her room. Instead, she saw a Magician's Valkyria standing in the middle of the room, staring back at her. She suddenly felt calm.

"Oh…you're just MV. Thank goodness. You gave me a heart attack."

"_M…V?"_

"It's short for Magician's Valkyria. I think it's easier for the both of us if I just call you that."

"_I am your Soul Card, Lady Rune. I completely understand, and I do not have any complaints."_

"By the way…what is a Soul Card, anyway? Sora never really explained that to us."

"_A Soul Card is a Duel Monster form of a human soul. In a sense, I am a part of you. Everyone in this world has a Soul Card. Many just never had the chance to see theirs."_

"So…you're a part of me?"

"_Precisely."_

"Huh…" Rune blinked. "So…do you have an opinion on what he told us?"

"_Not much…but I heard enough to understand the graveness of it."_

_**------**_

_**KAME GAME SHOP 10:12 AM**_

"_Your…twin brother?" Aira jumped. "You serious?"_

"_Yes. It occurred exactly two years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday." Sora sighed. "My twin brother, Ranile Hitsukari, had been exploring Egypt two weeks earlier, only never to be seen again. My parents went into a desperate search for him, and their search led to a Duelist Tournament that was happening in America. Coincidentally, the King of Games himself was there as a guest duelist. After their search came up empty-handed, the news broke out that the King of Games had disappeared, and it was then that I got a message from him."_

"_A message?" Tsubasa blinked._

"_What did he say?" Rune asked._

"_I remember his exact words." Sora looked down. "He said, 'I am the sun god Ra, who runs through all of humanity like the river Nile. Once I take back the power that I have lost to the cursed pharaoh, I will rule my kingdom that has been taken away from me.' He would never say anything like that."_

"_Did it have anything to do with the fact that his name actually has the words 'Ra' and 'Nile' in it?" Aira blurted._

"_That has nothing to do with it, Aira." Tsubasa grumbled. _

"_Actually, Ranile is a sacred name, given only to the heir to my family." Sora stated. "Since we have in depth understanding of the Shadow Magic used, it was said that the one named Ranile would be the one immune to the darkness. It looks like we were wrong."_

"_Are you saying that Yugi is involved with Shadow Magic?" Solomon gasped._

"_I'm saying that Yugi's knowledge of the Millennium Items is what's keeping his plan steady." Sora pointed at the Dark Magician. "And I have a feeling that this card has something to do with Yugi. So if you don't mind, I prefer that this card stays in Rune's hands, in the meantime."_

"_Huh?" Rune darted her head up. "But…this is his card!"_

"_This way, Solomon won't be involved in my brother's plot. I want to be safe to say that he doesn't know about his relation with Yugi, so I want it to stay like that. For now, Rune will hold onto your card. I can safely assure you that this will be returned to you when it is safe."_

_**------**_

**9:41 PM**

Rune pulled out the Dark Magician Card from her card pack and stared at it.

"How is this involved with what's going on?"

"_You didn't see it, Lady Rune? The face of the Dark Magician different from what it should actually look like?"_

"No, I saw it." She said. "But…I thought that was just a Shadow effect. Aira and Tsubasa didn't seem to notice it."

"_Maybe they can't see it?"_

"That would make some form of sense…" She sighed. "This is way too much for me. I really need sleep. That's all."

"_I agree. You should get some sleep."_

Nodding, she hid the Dark Magician in her card pack and hung the card pack on the hook near her bed. She pulled the covers over her head and fell asleep on the dot.


	4. Into the Mind

**WOOT! Chapter Three! This is getting really fun! Oh yeah, by the way, I went to AnimeNext and had so much fun! **_**(I didn't cosplay as big as everyone else, so you probably won't find me anywhere on the videos.) **_**And since I'm in a really random mood **_**(thanks to AnimeNext),**_** I suddenly want to name voice actors for my characters! **

**So if you want to start reading the chapter, go ahead and skip this part. I will not blame you one bit.**

**Other than that, watch as I randomly name voice actors for my OCs!**

**Rune Washiku: ****Laura Bailey**_** (Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket)**_

**Aira Tsumoyo: ****Hilary Haag**_** (Rosette Christopher from Chrono Crusade)**_** or ****Luci Christian**_** (Kaname Chidori from Full Metal Panic!)**_

**Tsubasa Taijo: Leaning toward three guys here. ****Greg Aryes**_**(Chrono from Chrono Crusade)**_

**Yuri Lowenthal**_**(Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto)**_

**Johnny Yong Bosch**_** (Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass)**_

**Sora Hitsukari: ****Vic Mignogna**_** (Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist)**_** or ****Chris Patton**_** (Joshua Christopher from Chrono Crusade)**_

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH. I AM MERELY A FAN. IN WHICH CASE, I WILL NOT ACCEPT FLAMING OF ANY KIND.**

**Except when it comes to what had just happened in the intro. If you want to drive me crazy on what I just wrote up there, go ahead and be my guest.**

**------**

**2:30 AM**

Rune opened her eyes, and realized that she was standing upward. She also realized that she wasn't in her bedroom anymore.

"Wha-? Where am I?"

She darted her head around, observing the area around her. It was a small room, yet many of the walls were mirrors, reflecting in bright blue light from the outside. Yet the light was coming from above her, a large porthole radiating a soft white light. The floor was tatami, like the tea room in the high school. Around her, there were flowers and a large sakura tree near the other side of the room. There seemed to be a white bench under the shade of it.

_That's odd…I think I know everything in here._

She walked around, walking in the tatami pathway, looking around at the landscape. The clear windows started to form an image, tempting her to investigate. The image cleared out, and it became a picture of her and Aira at a circus booth. She smiled.

"_Lady Rune?"_

She looked away from the image to the Magician's Valkyria floating next to her, staring at the image in front of them.

"_What is that image anyway? I've seen it on that wall for quite some time."_

"That?" Rune smiled. "It's the year I learned that Aira could use a shotgun. She was using it during one of the shooting booths and won me a teddy bear."

"_So it's a memory. No wonder the walls are so clear."_

"Speaking of which…where are we, exactly?"

The Magician's Valkyria floated around the room, poking at the leaves of the sakura tree before floating down to her level.

"_This is the room of your soul. Everything that you are, from what you hold dear to the feelings that you have now, all reside in this room. I call this place home."_

"So…you live here?" Rune looked around.

"_I am more than that. I am the guardian of this room."_ Her voice was tense. _"If someone was able to take hold of this room…they can completely manipulate you from the inside."_

Rune fell silent, not willing to talk about what that could possibly mean. Instead, she turned to the sakura tree and the bench underneath it, noticing a strange change to it. She paused for a few seconds before walking to it.

"_What's wrong?"_ MV asked.

"There's a table there." She remarked. "I don't remember seeing that before."

They both approached the table in curiosity, noticing that it was a simple white one, similar to the lawn tables that they would see at cheap hardware stores. And on the table was a small, gold sarcophagus. When Rune opened it, she saw small golden pieces in it.

"A…puzzle?" She pulled out two pieces. "It's a golden puzzle."

"_I don't remember seeing that there during my stay."_ MV rubbed her chin. _"Does it hold any meaning to you?"_

"Not a one." She grinned. "Well, I guess it symbolizes how I like a good puzzle. I should start solving it."

"_Not yet. The sun is about to rise, and your body stays comatose as long as you stay in this room."_ MV smiled. _"I will handle on this puzzle while you go about your daily life."_

"Are you sure?" Rune tilted her head.

"_All the skills that you have, I have. Do not worry. I will update you on any progress that I have."_

"OK." She looked around. "So…how do I get out, exactly?"

"_You just have to will yourself out. It's the simplest way."_

**------**

**RUNE'S BEDROOM 6:30 AM**

Rune rubbed her eyes as she sat up in her bed. She stared at her calendar, stating that today was clearly a Sunday. Groaning, she stood out of her bed and stretched considerably, reaching into her closet to grab her clothes.

_So MV will handle the puzzle while I try to play it cool._ She concluded. _Hm…I wonder what the puzzle forms into. Maybe some carving._

Her cell phone began to ring _(the familiar "Breakdown" DDR song that Aira bought for her for her birthday)_, and she quickly picked it up as she pulled on her usual blue vest over her silver shirt.

"This is Rune."

"_Yo! It's me!"_

"Aira? Geez, what do you want from me now? It's not like you to be up anywhere before seven."

"_I know, but this is important stuff! I was able to pressure Sora into telling us a little more about the Millennium Items, so we're gonna meet up at Domino Park at noon later, k?"_

"OK, but…that doesn't explain to me why you're up before seven."

"_I slept early and was able to make coffee. I'll be fine. Just get to the park at noon."_

"Relax. I'll be there."

**------**

**KAIBACORP 10:36 AM**

A brunette man stood feverishly over the workers in front of him, doing their job the best they could in order to get a night's pay. Commands were being ordered over his shoulders as he watched on. A small young boy was at his side.

"Seto…are you sure that Yugi's OK?" The young boy asked, looking up to him.

"Of course he's OK." The man grinned. "He's probably got scared when he realized that I was quickly approaching his level of dueling and is hiding to make his story a legend. He's always been a coward who can't ever take necessary sacrifices."

"Seto, Seto, don't speak so cruelly to the King of Games."

Everyone turned around to see a blond man standing behind them. He had piercing violet eyes and a black-and-white robe on him, and there were two servants at his side, their heads bowed.

"How'd you get in here without my knowledge?" Kaiba growled.

"I just went through security. You probably weren't paying any attention." The man smiled. "I just wanted to make a deal with you."

Everyone stood quietly.

"A deal?" Kaiba glared at him. "That's a quick way to throw the demand on the table. What makes you think that I would accept it?"

"Easy, really." The man grinned. "You want to find Yugi Motou, am I correct?"

Everyone stared at Kaiba's shocked face.

"How did you-"

"It's not a big secret that you're looking for the legendary King of Games, Kaiba." The man stated. "Nor are you the only one looking for him. I learned from a couple insiders that you yourself are spending millions of dollars to help find him in secrecy."

"…what the hell do you want?" He growled.

"Nothing much." The man answered. "I just want to propose a deal to assist you in your search."

"Assist?" Kaiba was struck back. "Are you demanding something in return?"

"Not a big amount." The man leaned on one leg. "Just ten percent of your company."

"Ten percent?!" Kaiba blinked.

"_This man only wants ten percent?"_ A man whispered.

"_That's a small amount of the company."_ Another added. _"Why would he want so little?"_

"_Why would he want any at all?"_

"…Ten percent?" Kaiba added again.

"You want me to go less?" The man sighed. "I'll go as low as five."

"FIVE percent?" Kaiba stared at everyone. "…Fine. Five percent of my company in exchange for your service. But this better not leak out into the public media."

"I'll make sure of it. You don't have to worry about a thing."

**------**

**KAIBACORP HALLWAY 11:52 AM**

"Sir…"

A servant followed the quickened pace of the young man as he walked through the hallways.

"Are you sure about this deal?" He asked. "A measly five percent of KaibaCorp? I do believe that you will fare better if you demanded more."

"I don't need that much." The man said. "All I need is access to KaibaCorp's resources. I could care less if I even had a single percent of the company. But to keep my end of the bargain…seek to it that I learn of all the important meetings of KaibaCorp. I need to make sure to stay in touch with him."

"As you wish…Lord Ranile."

**------**

**DOMINO PARK 12:07 PM**

Sora, Tsubasa and Aira were already there when Rune ran into them. They were sitting on a white bench under a sakura tree, a tree that she realized was the tree that was in her mind room.

"Am I late?" She asked.

"Nah, you're just in time." Tsubasa smiled. "Sora here's just about to explain the Millennium Items."

"I still don't see why I have to." Sora looked at them. "The information's not going to help us in our investigation."

"Well, we need to know." Aira leaned forward. "Think about it this way: if we know about the Millennium Items, we could probably be able to figure out why the organization _(led by your brother)_ is searching for Yugi Motou."

"…well, if you want to know so badly…" Sora leaned back on the bench. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Start on the least threatening of them." Tsubasa said. "And work your way up."

"The least threatening…that would be the Millennium Scales." Sora explained. "They only judge the heart of a person, seeing if they're good or evil. I don't know any more skills concerning the Scales, but that's all I know about it."

"That was a useless Item then…" Aira sighed. "Anything a little more…threatening?"

"Well…there's the Millennium Key." Sora grinned. "This Key can probe your inner mind and access your deepest thoughts. And, if the person wanted to, they could completely manipulate your personality and your memories into their liking, up to when you're just a puppet under his control."

_My inner mind…so that's what MV meant by being the guardian of my mind._ Rune thought.

"Next to that, there would be the Millennium Eye." Sora lifted his finger. "With this Item, you could read into people's minds, which is different from the Key, which can enter your sub consciousness. This Item would have to be the most painful because, in order for it to work…well, they would have to literally shove it in your eye socket."

Aira covered her eyes in a panic, making the others laugh.

"Let's talk about another one." Rune insisted.

"Right. I should state the Necklace." Sora nodded.

"It doesn't fuse with your skin, right?" Aira asked, her eyes still covered.

"No, of course not." Sora laughed. "It allows the wielder to see the past and future, and can relate that to other people around them, but the vision of the future will only be right if the Necklace accepts the person as its wielder. Otherwise, the vision will be wrong."

"So much for that." Tsubasa said. "So…the Scales, the Key, the Eye, and the Necklace. That's four of them so far. What about the other three?"

"They're the highest in threat levels." Sora explained. "OK, the least threatening of the three of them is the Millennium Rod. It can control people's minds, allowing the wielder to manipulate them to whatever accord they want. Unlike the Key, the Rod doesn't actually change their personality."

"And THAT'S the least threatening of the three of them?" Aira whined. "What could the other two _**POSSIBLY **_do that's worse?!"

"The ones you're talking about are the Millennium Ring and the Millennium Puzzle." Sora closed his eyes. "The reason why they're the worse is because they're the ultimate in good and evil. Compare them as if they're on the Millennium Scales. The Puzzle would be on one side, while the Ring would be on the other. They both hold the same power, but both of them are different on the energies that they possess."

"…what kind of power do they share…?" Aira panicked.

"Soul Manipulation. They can destroy a soul or move it to another body whenever the host wants it to."

Aira freaked out and shivered.

"They're that dangerous…" Tsubasa rubbed his chin. "No wonder people are after their powers…"

"Yes. The pharaoh himself had wielded the Millennium Puzzle, which is why it's considered to be the Light of the two of them. My parents never really explained to me why the Ring was considered to be the Dark…" Sora sighed. "Well, that's all I know, really. Any questions?"

_Wait…_ "The Millennium Puzzle…" Rune stood up. "What…shape is it in?"

Sora stared at her with a confused look on his face, and then shrugged.

"It's an upside down pyramid." He answered with a straight face. "Why?"

"Uh…no reason. I was just curious, that's all."

Tsubasa stared at her with a blank face before ignoring the situation. His cell phone rang, and he quickly picked up. A few confirming "yeses" and "no's" later, he hung up and sighed.

"My damn uncle couldn't tell his way out of the city if it was drawn out for him…" He looked up. "I better run. My uncle got lost in the east side again."

"Find him soon." Rune smiled. "We all remembered what happened before."

"Don't remind me."

He ran off quickly, leaving the three of them behind.

**------**

**RUNE'S BEDROOM 9:03 PM**

She kicked off her shoes and changed quickly the minute she got home. There was a note on her door from her mother, stating that she was at a late meeting and she would be home before ten.

_The doctor's office is never this crowded before…must be the cold season._ She sighed.

She stared at the card pack on her desk and, by instinct, pulled out her Dark Magician. She stood in the middle of her room, letting the moonlight reflect on the dark image of the card.

"_Lady Rune…I finished the puzzle."_

She blinked and turned around, seeing her Soul Card appear next to her, her arms hidden behind her. She didn't look happy.

"You finished the golden puzzle?" Rune smiled. "Great! What does it show?"

"_I'm…not sure. You see, when I finished it…"_

She didn't have to finish. She just pulled out the golden image that she had created. Only it looked incomplete. It seemed to be the base of something, the ends curved inward before stopping. The piece on top had a loop, signifying that it hung from somewhere at a certain point and time.

"_When I finished what I had, I looked for any more pieces that I might've missed, but there was none. This was all that I was able to get."_

"…"

"That's OK…" She trailed the edges of the puzzle. "They curve inward…to a point…"

She gasped in realization. MV stared at the puzzle before quickly catching on what Rune had just realized.

"…_**e?"**_

"_Could this possibly be the Millennium Puzzle that Sora was talking about?!"_

"W-wait, hold on! That's a quick jumping topic here!" Rune panicked. "The Millennium Puzzle possibly couldn't have just jumped right out of its confinement in wherever the heck they were in and jumped _**into my soul**_, right?"

"_It's a magical object, Lady Rune. You must not be surprised on what it can do."_

"…_**y…"**_

"But…Sora **never** mentioned Millennium Items taking refuge in people's souls before, right?! So it can't happen!"

"_Maybe they never saw this happen before, since the Items have never been sealed before."_

"I…I can't believe it…this is not happening…I am not holding onto a rare and powerful artifact inside my soul…"

"_**HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"**_

Rune screamed out of the top of her lungs and scurried to the other side of the room, away from the sudden outburst. The Magician's Valkyria jumped between the source of the voice and lifted her staff to the source of the sound. Rune's eyes adjusted, showing the image of a young boy standing a few inches from where she was standing before. He looked shocked at her reaction, and lowered his raised arm.

"_**I'm sorry. It's just…you weren't responding to me when I was trying to get your attention earlier…"**_

"W-wait…! It's…!"

It was the man from her dream.

The boy whose face was on the Dark Magician.

The King of Games.

Yugi Motou.

**------**

**The plot's kicking up now! Remember, no flaming, except for what I wrote in the introduction. Flame me on that to your heart's content.**

**By the way, I'm starting on a crossover fanfic called "Twisted and Altered" soon! I hope you enjoy it!**


	5. Yugi Motou

**Sorry for the slow updates. I was working on my other fanfics! I should hit up on my Super Smash Brothers one soon, but whatever. I hope you like this chapter anyway! Cause I'm having fun!**

**-----**

**RUNE'S BEDROOM 9:08 PM**

She was staring at him with the biggest eyes that she ever thought she had. Her back was at the wall, and when she slid her glasses back into place, she became aware that the man in front of her was near transparent. The moonlight was coming through her window and his body, landing onto her wall and creating a shadow that he wasn't a part of. He stepped closer to her, a hand reached out and a little surprise was on his face.

"_Back off if you wish to live."_

She turned her head to see her Soul Card, the Magician's Valkyria, facing him, her staff raised up in the air. She was surprised that she forgot that she was even there, since even her figure had more color than him. He backed away without hesitation.

"_**I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare her."**_ He explained. _**"It just that…I didn't know if she would be able to hear me. She heard me before and seemed to notice me during the duel, so…"**_

"D-duel?" She finally gasped out. "Wait…so you…that actually happened?"

"_**Yes."**_ He nodded. _**"The Dark Magician is my Soul Card, just like Magician's Valkyria is yours. It took my soul in when…"**_

He paused for a few seconds before rubbing his forehead. A look of confusion was all over his face.

"_Is something wrong…?"_ The Magician's Valkyria asked, her staff still up.

"_**I…I can't remember what happened."**_ He blinked. _**"Why can't I remember?"**_

Rune stared as he tried his best to remember his current condition, and stood up in understanding. She turned to her Soul Card, who was still tensed up.

"MV, lower your weapon. He's a victim, and he's not after us." She ordered.

Her Soul Card turned to Rune for a few seconds before she lowered her staff. The man was startled by her reaction as Rune slowly stood to her feet.

"You're…Yugi Motou, right?" She asked.

"_**Yes. I am."**_ He responded.

"_You don't seem surprised that she knows your name."_ MV remarked.

"_**We share the same memory. I heard everything from the past couple days."**_ He looked at Rune. _**"So…Sora's twin brother is the one who did this to me?"**_

"That's…the guess…as of right now." She responded. "But we're not really sure. Right now, we got bigger problems. Aren't there people that are looking for you?"

"_**Would people believe you if you told them that the man that they're looking for is sealed inside a card in your back pocket?"**_

Oh. Right. Forgot that tidbit for a second.

"But…wait! You said that we have the same memory, right?!" Rune blinked. "Were you the one who remarked about the Shadow Games coming back?"

"_**You heard me?"**_ He sighed. _**"Yes, that was me. The Shadow Games are not to be taken lightly, Rune. They are dangerous to all that are involved."**_

"_Yugi, right?"_ MV cut in. _"Could you tell us anything about this object?"_

She lifted the fragment of the Millennium Puzzle that she had constructed so that he could see it, and he paused. By reaction, he reached into his bag and pulled something out. It was a part of the Puzzle, which he clicked into place.

"_**I was wondering why I only had a part of the Puzzle. Some of it must've settled into your soul."**_ He remarked.

"But…where's the other part? Look, a third of it is missing." Rune remarked.

"_**I don't know."**_ Yugi looked up. _**"Sora's brother…Ranile, right? He must've taken a third of it when I escaped."**_

"Looks like it." She sighed.

"_So now he's even more dangerous."_ MV concluded.

"_**Yeah…"**_ Yugi sighed. _**"Dangerous indeed."**_

Rune bit her lip. She thought that she only had to deal with a crazy twin brother who had a really big problem with his mental stability with wanting to take over the world, but the fact that she is now going to be hunted for Yugi Motou was going to affect _her_ mental stability.

She will not be sleeping tonight.

**------**

**DOMINO SCHOOL 6:50 AM**

She walked into the classroom with bags under her eyes. Her friends weren't in the room yet _(mainly because they probably woke up later than her, which would've meant that they had more sleep than her)_, so she sulked in her chair and tried her best to get precious minutes of sleep.

"_**Are you OK?"**_

She darted up in her chair and turned her head to see the transparent soul of Yugi looking at her, a look of concern in his eyes. She sighed.

_I'm fine, thank you very much._ She spat.

"_**Sorry, sorry…"**_

She rolled her eyes and tried to get back to sleep, only to see Yugi looking around him, not once looking that he was out of place. She sat up.

_You've been here before, Yugi?_

"_**Huh? Oh, yeah…once. I graduated from this school."**_

_You attended this school?!_ She shot up. _Wait…how come I've never noticed you in the hallways then?!_

Yugi rubbed the tip of his nose, a sweat drop going down the side of his face, looking away from her. She stared at him and quickly understood, turning away, embarrassed by her sudden remark.

_I…wasn't talking about your height, you know._

"_**I know…"**_

They both stayed quiet for a few seconds before a familiar crash of the door caught their attention. They both turned their heads to see Aira and Tsubasa walk into the class-filled room, grins on their faces.

"_**Rune…I'm sorry, but I think you should keep me a secret."**_

_Huh? Why?_

"_**I don't think they would believe you if you just told them straight. And besides…there's something about that boy that's unsettling to me…"**_

_Tsubasa? But he's my best friend! He wouldn't hurt you!_

"_**I know…that's why I hope I'm wrong."**_

"Hey, Rune!" Aira jumped on her desk. "What's with the bags under your eyes? Bad sleep?"

"You could say that." She sighed. "Nightmare."

"Ohhhhhh." She sighed. "Sucks to be you. By the way, have you heard? We're getting a new transfer student!"

"Huh? Really? That's new." Rune stated.

"Not really…" Tsubasa rubbed his right eye. "If I have any indication on who it is, it's probably Sora. Seems like the logical choice."

"Nope! You're wrong, Tsubasa!" Aira waggled her finger. "It's not Sora! You know why? You see…Sora is a _bishounen._ And bishounen ALWAYS look younger than their actual age! He may look our age, but the truth is…he's in his early twenties!"

"And you assume this…how?" Tsubasa stared at her.

"It's my instinct. And my instinct never fails me." She winked.

Tsubasa turned away, trying his best not to say anything. Aira folded her arms and grinned like she had just won a victory. Suddenly, the door closed to the room, and the teacher walked in the room with a clipboard in his hands.

"Now, kids, sit down in your seats." He ordered. "Class, as you might've heard already, we have a new transfer student. You can come in now."

The door slid open, and in walked in a young blond man with his school jacket unbuttoned and his white shirt loose underneath it. He turned and looked at the class, and all the girls suddenly began squealing.

"_So you were wrong."_ Tsubasa whispered with a laugh.

"_Oh, shut up."_ Aira growled.

"My name is Sora Hitsukari. I just came in from Egypt, but I am part Japanese as well. I hope we all get to know each other well."

"_**It's that Sora kid…"**_

Rune looked at Yugi, who wasn't as surprised as she thought he would be, but surprised all the same. He bowed to the teacher before walking to an empty seat, which just happened to be behind Rune.

"_Hey, Rune."_ He whispered.

"_How'd you get into this school, anyway? I heard that the paperwork takes days to fill out."_

"_I know how to bargain around it."_ Sora grinned. _"Don't worry about it."_

She stared at him for a few seconds before deciding that questioning the situation will bring her nowhere, so she turned around and ignored the situation.

**------**

**DOMINO SCHOOL 3:30 PM**

Aira was quietly fuming on her failing instinct in her seat as everyone stared at her with blank faces. Sora began laughing.

"Is it that surprising that I'm the same age as you?" He asked.

"_It defies all bishounen logic…"_ She mumbled.

"There's…bishounen logic?" Tsubasa looked at Sora. "I must've clearly missed the day they were handing those out."

"Is that why people that I looked ugly back at home?" Sora whined.

"Sora…I was joking." Tsubasa stared at him.

"So…how's your first day in Domino High?" Rune asked. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Yeah…but not in this school."

Everyone stared as Sora's face slowly fell into that of seriousness. He folded his hands and rested his chin on his palms, staring at everyone to make sure he got their full attention. From the corner of her eye, Rune saw Yugi tuning into the conversation.

"What do you mean?" Aira asked.

"The thing is...around ten o' clock last night, my parents called me." Sora leaned back on his chair. "They stated that around that time, there was a sense of mystical energy that pulsed inside Domino. After further examinations, they found out that the energy was over five thousand years old."

"Meaning…what, exactly?" Tsubasa asked.

"It's a long-shot, but…I think my parents found the power of the Millennium Items."

"WHAT?!" Aira jumped. "No way! You said that they're sealed away!"

"They must've been released in Domino City…" Sora looked up. "OK, I heard from my parents that there are three sources of the mystical energy. All we need to do now is find those three sources and see if they're indeed Millennium Items."

"We're finding needles in a haystack." Tsubasa said. "Do you have any way of finding those three sources?"

"No…we can only assume that anything that's involved with the Shadow Games will be associated with the Millennium Items." Sora looked down. "I'm sorry guys. But we're wandering into foreign territory with only vague references to common knowledge."

"I'm sure that we're gonna be able to find the sources." Rune insisted. "Besides…knowing what little I know of Ranile, wouldn't he be looking for those sources as well? Since it's tied up to his plot or something?"

"That's…vague enough to actually work." Sora stood up. "All right then. We're gonna have to go quickly. We're searching now."

"Woohoo! Epic search of the city over!" Aira cheered.

**------**

**FRONT OF DOMINO SCHOOL 3:49 PM**

"_**Rune…about what Sora said about the Millennium Items coming back…"**_

_He really was right, huh? It explains your presence and how I have a section of the Puzzle._

"_**I'm scared now. I've never been chased down before without-"**_

Rune tuned her mind quickly to him, but he somehow fell silent in her mind. She couldn't find him at all. After a few seconds of silence, she ignored him and followed her friends to the front of the school.

"We should split up." Aira opted. "So that we can see more area and assume more."

"That…sounded very vague coming out of you." Tsubasa stared at her.

"That's not going to work, Aira. You don't know what an energy surge even looks like." Sora stated. "We'll have to search together today. Besides, we don't even know what we're going up against."

"That sounds smart, coming out of you…Sora."

Everyone darted their heads to see a robed figure approaching them, a grin on his face and a symbol on his forehead. All the muscles in Rune's body began to tense, and she could feel Yugi crawl to the outreaches of her mind.

"You…" Sora stepped forward. "You work for my brother, don't you?"

"Well, aren't you the smart camper." The man grinned. "You all are a threat to Lord Ranile, and thus you must all be eliminated. Let's start with the girl first."

"Me, huh?" Rune stated, shoving Yugi deep into her mind for protection. "Well then, it's a duel!"

"Hold up."

Everyone paused for a few seconds to see Tsubasa with his arm raised in front of her. He swished the flock of hair over his right eye and stepped forward.

"Rune's a little tired from what happened yesterday, so if you don't mind, you'll be dueling me first." He said.

"You and your close protections…" The man shook his head. "Very well then. It's a duel!"

The air around them began to tense as the shadows began to surround them. Rune looked at her feet and felt herself floating, now understanding on what Aira was remarking on when they were watching her duel Sora.

"You know the rules, kid?"

"I know them as well as you do." Tsubasa grinned.

The man lifted his deck and drew his card. The shadows took form and it became Tyr, the Vanquishing Warlord. Everyone panicked, believing that Tsubasa couldn't face this monster, but saw him grin as he drew his card. Light erupted from the card and became the Silent Swordsman.

"A Level Monster as a Soul Card? You really must be weak!" The man laughed.

"State whatever you want." Tsubasa's grin faded. "You're about to lose, and then we'll never see your face again. Isn't that right?"

**------**

**Another duel! Sheesh! That means that this chapter is going to be REALLY hard to type up! I hope you all are really patient!**


	6. Tsubasa Taijo

**Tsubasa's dueling, my friends! Woo hoo! I hope you're ready, cause…well, I don't know. Just read.**

**NO FLAMING PLEZ.**

**------**

**FRONT OF DOMINO SCHOOL 3:56 PM**

"So…your monster is a puny Silent Swordsman?" The man snickered. "You know that you don't stand a chance against my Tyr, right?"

"I know." Tsubasa said. "But then again, we never chose our Court, did we?"

"Always the arrogant one, are we? Well then, why not?"

They lifted their decks, their monsters touching the decks as well. After a surge of energy flowed through their decks, they drew their Court, which was immediately summoned onto the field.

**?????'s Soul Card-** Tyr, The Vanquishing Warlord

**Court-** Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest

Exploder Dragonwing

Caius the Shadow Monarch

Emperor of Lightning

**Tsubasa's Soul Card-** Silent Swordsman LV 3

**Court-** Guardian Baou

Guardian of Order

Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4

Guardian Angel Joan

_How odd…Tsubasa looks calm, but he never played this before! Not to mention that his Court and Soul Card is exceptionally weak compared to that other guy's set!_ Sora blinked._ Still, his set is stronger than my first set when I first played the game! He must be powerful…maybe even stronger than him!_

"Seriously? This is what you use?" The man laughed. "Your cards aren't even close to the ATK of my Court, much less my Soul Card!"

"We'll see about that." Tsubasa grinned. "Since mobility now plays a factor in this game."

"Fine. Let's go!"

The monsters charged into battle. The man grinned.

"Aim for the Guardian Baou!" The man ordered. "My Emperor of Lighting!"

Tsubasa folded his arms and watched as the Emperor of Lightning jumped toward the Guardian Baou. The only thing was that the Guardian didn't dodge. He braced for the impact. All of a sudden, Tsubasa grinned, and the man watched as the Silent Swordsman and Horus suddenly jumped for the protection. They quickly countered the attack, and the Emperor fell back.

**Tsubasa's MP:** 8400

**?????'s MP:** 9200

"What? 8400? Why is your MP lower, not that I'm complaining?" The man asked.

"Oh, yeah." Tsubasa smiled. "I activated a Spell Card. The Equip Sword called Wicked-Breaking Flamberge Baou. Equipped onto my Guardian Baou, it increase his ATK by 500, increasing his ATK to 1300. And in this world, you can't destroy monsters, so my monster's effect continues to activate. I increase Baou's ATK by 1000, going straight to 2300. So your MP should be going lower now."

**?????'s MP:** 8700

"You…" He glared.

"And now I continue my assault." Tsubasa grinned. "I activate two effects!"

**Tsubasa's MP:** 6400

"He's wastin' his MP like it's nothing!" Rune panicked.

"Hey, Tsubasa! Get it in your head! This isn't a game!" Aira screamed.

"Just follow me through." Tsubasa unfolded his arms. "With the successful rebound of the Emperor of Lightning, I can level up my monsters. Say hello to my Silent Swordsman LV 5 and Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6!"

The shadows surrounded the two monsters, only to reveal bigger, stronger monsters. They both prepared their stances, ready to fight. But the man didn't seem fazed. Instead, he merely laughed.

"You weren't pay attention, weren't you?" He laughed. "You got rid of your Soul Card! Replacing it won't help! So your MP has just been halved!"

**Tsubasa's MP:** 3200

"Tsubasa, that idiot." Aira growled. "He never took any of this seriously!"

"Wait…what's wrong with him?!" Rune panicked.

Tsubasa looked at his body, realizing that most of his waist and parts of his arms and legs were vanishing, fading into the shadows. He looked to his companions, who most were too shocked to speak. The man shook his head.

"The shadows take the body of the one who loses their Soul Card." He explained. "Now that your Soul Card's gone, it's easy pickings to your MP."

"Right…" He nodded. "You might want to add to that."

The man stared at him for a few seconds before feeling a gigantic slash on his back. Turning around, he saw the Guardian Angel Joan fly over his head and fly to Tsubasa's position.

**?????'s MP:** 5900

"You were always too cocky." He shrugged. "And she also has an effect. It increases my MP equal to the original ATK of the monster. But I guess MP works just as well in this case."

**Tsubasa's MP:** 6000

"Hey, he's been jipped!" Aira jumped. "If Tsubasa's effect worked, his MP should be 9100!"

"That's why the Soul Card is so important." Sora folded his arms. "The Soul Card seems like just a monster in the Court, but its main purpose is to balance the MP surrounding the duelist. When the Soul Card is gone, the MP balance is disrupted, and the duelist is forced to manage their MP on their own. And they can only manage a certain amount."

"So…" Rune paused. "His MP can't exceed 6000 now that his Soul Card is gone?"

"Yeah." Sora sighed. "If he keeps going like this…he's done for. But what I can't understand is what is he planning? He's not even flinching from the turn of events, like he knew about them…"

"Now then…" The man grinned. "I feel sorry for you, so I'm going to end this quickly. Hope you enjoy the Shadow Realm. My Vanquishing Warlord! Join with Caius and Exploder Dragonwing and attack his MP directly!"

"WHA-?!" Aira panicked. "He's going all out in one strike?!"

**?????'s MP:** 4400

Tsubasa prepared his feet, ready to dodge the attack, but the man grinned, seeing his opponent crouch down to duck.

_What a sucker!_ He thought. _He's going to dodge my attack, just like everyone else…but…once he does, he's going to fall straight into my trap! While he wasn't looking, I planted my Green Baboon in the position right where he can dodge. Once he moves…I'll let him attack and toss him right into the mass! He won't know what hit him! And by looking at his monsters…they're too far away to attack! Heh, he'll be a human pinball!_

The three monsters lunged to attack, and Tsubasa dodged, just as the man planned it. The Green Baboon came from the shadows.

"A back attack-!" Sora gasped.

"TSUBASA! DUCK!" Aira screamed.

"It's too late!" The man grinned. "Green Baboon, time for the attack!"

Tsubasa grinned as he landed on his feet. As the Green Baboon reared to attack, the club was sudden stopped by a clang of a blade. The shadows fully cleared out, and everyone saw that the Silent Magician had blocked his attack.

"What?!" The man gasped.

"You really should make your plans less obvious." Tsubasa stood up. "It was way too easy for me to pick it out."

"Pick it out…?" Sora gasped. "Wait! N-no way!"

"What?! _**What?!" **_Aira's head was darting around. "OK, what the heck is going on?!"

"Aira…" Rune gasped. "Look at Tsubasa's eye."

Aira stared at what she mentioned and nearly screamed. Tsubasa's right eye, which was somewhat hidden by his hair, was glowing a bright yellow. A gust of wind blew up that flock of hair, and it confirmed everyone's thoughts: there was an ancient Egyptian eye where his right eye should be.

"A…Millennium Item?!" The man backed up. "No! They should've been sealed away two years ago!"

"Well, you were wrong. We all were." Tsubasa smiled. "But I guess that was your mistake, right? Well then, perhaps I should carry out my plan, just for the sake of ending it quickly."

The man stared at him in confusion before the hairs on the back of his neck shot up. He darted around and ducked, seeing the image of the Guardian Baou miss with his blade. He grinned, thinking that it was all over, and turned to Tsubasa, who was grinning as well. He was confused, until he felt a slash on his back. Turning around, he saw the Guardian of Order throw him into the air.

**?????'s MP:** 1900

"What was the term you said I was going to be? A 'human pinball'?" Tsubasa held on a strange grin. "I guess we need to have a little taste of our own medicine, right? Horus, end this!"

The man looked up and gasped as the large metal bird flew over his head and breathed dark flames onto his body. He crashed onto the ground with a loud scream as the monsters around him began to fade away. Tsubasa, in turn, dismissed his monsters as well.

**?????'s MP:** 0

"Way to go, Tsubasa!" Rune cheered.

"Yeah! Way to give me the biggest freakin' heart attack of my life!" Aira sighed. "I mean, seriously!"

Tsubasa didn't respond. He was merely looking at the man in front of him, his right eye glowing. The shadows were fading away, but they were slowly surrounding the man, as of draining something from him. He grinned.

"The Shadow Realm…heh, what a horrible fate…" He muttered. "At least…I'm not going alone! Green Baboon! Attack him until his MP become 0!"

The monster, still fading away, was charging toward Tsubasa, his club in the air. He looked up and dodged as many attacks as he knew he could. But before he knew it, he felt a huge club on his back and crashed onto the ground.

**Tsubasa's MP:** 3700

"Hey! The battle's over! Just accept defeat already!" Aira spat.

"That's just how hard the Shadow Games are here." Sora bit his lip. "If someone can't accept defeat…well, they're allowed to bring the other one down."

"_**He needs our help! He can't summon any monsters in the position that he's in!"**_

_Right…so I have to summon you then!_ "This won't be happening when I'm around! Dark Magician…go!"

Just like that, her body began to radiate a brilliant light, and the Dark Magician shot out, attacking the Green Baboon with his magical power. It vanished with a mystical light, and when that was done, Tsubasa began to walk toward the man.

"It's over now. I hope you don't mind that I'm not going with you." He spat.

"Heh…always relying on the people around you, am I right?" The man laughed. "What would your brother think?"

Tsubasa cringed as the shadows completely consumed him. His body collapsed onto the ground, leaving the rest of them in a quiet shadow area. Everyone stared at Tsubasa, who was clenching his fists together as if a bad memory had resurfaced.

"Hey, um…changing the subject here…" Aira turned to the Dark Magician. "Rune, when did your Dark Magician start to look like an overgrown pixie?"

She stared at him, and realized that she was right. He looked different then the first time she summoned him. It used to be just Yugi in the outfit, but it seemed as if it _became_ him. He had purple wings from his back, and it looked as if the outfit became armor. Yugi looked around in his new getup.

"_**Wow…I really did change."**_ He remarked.

"So you're the King of Games." Sora admired. "I never thought that your soul would resonate this much with the card."

"_**Well…I guess there're some things we don't understand, like how Tsubasa had the Millennium Eye."**_

Everyone stared at him, who was still silent from the shock.

**------**

**DOMINO PARK 4:59 PM**

"I kinda hoped that Yugi would still be around when the shadows faded." Sora sighed. "So that people would know what happened to the King of Games."

"Well, that would be hard." Aira said. "Would people wonder why a spiky-haired kid was walking around looking like a Power Ranger who's obsessed with card games?"

"Tsubasa?" Rune leaned to him. "Are you OK? You've been quiet…more than usual."

Everyone looked at him. He was sitting quietly on the park bench, his eyes refusing to make eye contact, and he was shaking, a first time for him. His fists clenched together a few times before they released. He looked up.

"I guess you're wondering what that man was talking about, huh?" He asked.

"A little." Aira blurted.

"Aira-!" Sora gasped. "Don't just state it out of the blue!"

"What? He has the Millennium Eye. Lying to him would only make things worse." Aira turned to him. "Hey, if you don't want to talk about it-"

"No, it's OK, Sora. I can talk about it." Tsubasa straightened himself. "I have a twin brother."

"You never mentioned that you have a brother." Rune blinked.

"Older? Younger?" Aira tilted her head.

"Younger. Then again, he was the typical younger brother, out to annoy and hard to please." He smiled. "We were the typical family…"

"_**Were?"**_ Sora blinked. "Well, that's not good. What happened? Divorce?"

"Car accident. Probably the worst." He looked down. "It involved at least two drunk drivers. They were on a head-on collision, and they both crashed into our car. It paralyzed my mother from the waist down. A glass from one of the cars took my eyesight from my right eye. My father had a couple of broken ribs and bones, but he was able to make a full recovery. And my brother…well, he flew out of the car window."

"Died on impact?" Rune bit her lip.

"That's what's written down. In fact, we don't know." Tsubasa closed his eyes. "Odd as it may seem, no one found his body."

"Wait, so he flew out of the car and went AWOL?" Aira stood up.

"We were shown on one of those supernatural shows under the title **Vanishing Without a Trace**, which didn't make my father happy." He sighed. "My father's the lead detective in finding him, and he's not stopped ever since."

"How long ago was this?" Sora asked.

"…Three, four years?" Tsubasa looked up. "I don't even know now."

"Well, I'm sure that someone would be able to find him!" Rune insisted. "Who knows, you'll probably be able to find him with your Millennium Eye!"

"Yeah…I guess so."

He lifted his flock of hair to show the eye to Rune, and paused. Keeping his hair up, he looked around his landscape. Aira moved out of the way, seemingly thinking that he was looking for something. Suddenly, Tsubasa's face showed some form of shock.

"Holy…" He blinked.

"What? What? What?" Aira stood up.

"I…I can…"

"What?" Sora blinked.

"I…" Rune almost saw a tear in his eye. "I can see through my right eye."

**------**

**Yeah, this chapter is a little simple. It'll take a while for me to realize where this might actually be going, so don't expect a fast update.**


	7. That Very Night and Day After

**Sixth chapter! Woot! This is actually looking up pretty well!**

**NO FLAMING. I DON'T OWN YU-GI-OH, SO IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PERFECT.**

**------**

**RUNE'S BEDROOM 7:32 PM**

"Tsubasa had a younger brother…" Rune rubbed her chin.

"_**The trauma of losing him must've kept him to secrecy. No wonder you never heard of him."**_ Yugi stated.

"Yeah, I know." Rune fell back on her bed. "It's hard to imagine though…losing someone so close to you like that. Then again, I guess it's the same for all your friends, right? Since they're wondering where you are."

She looked at him, realizing that she had just pushed him into silence. Startled, she shot up into a sitting position.

"I brought something bad up, didn't I?" She blurted.

"_**No…it's OK."**_ He smiled.

He vanished right then and there, and Rune noticed that she couldn't communicate with him. Confused, she flopped back on the bed and concluded that she wouldn't be getting any answers tonight.

**------**

**KAIBACORP 9:29 PM**

"Is that all then?"

"Of course." The businessman nodded to him. "I'm sure that your transportation will be ready for our supplies?"

"Don't worry. I've already set them up. They'll be there once you get to the docks."

"You are such a great asset to our company, Ranile. I don't understand why you only took such a small portion."

"I only want to be a helper, not a businessman." Ranile lifted his hands up. "Besides, KaibaCorp is KaibaCorp because of the fact that it's run by Seto Kaiba, wouldn't you agree?"

"…Yes, I believe so."

"Then we speak no more of it. Now, if you'll excuse me."

He turned and walked away, leaving the businessman staring at his back. Ranile grinned as he left the small room.

_Besides, what's the use of running a company if I can just run the whole world?_

**------**

**DOMINO AIRPORT 10:59 PM**

A young woman stepped out of the loading dock and looked around.

_It's been a while since I've been here…what I would do to get a nice break at that restaurant again…_

She walked through the security and stepped outside into the illuminated light of the streets.

_But I have to focus. He's around here somewhere…Remember what __**he**__ told you…follow your instincts._

She looked up and ran to the darkness.

**------**

**DOMINO CITY STREETS 8:56 AM**

_Yes, total and uncompressed FREEDOM! God bless holidays!_

Aira ran down the streets in her usual pink getup, her white boots clanking down the concrete streets.

_I just wished that Rune and Tsubasa were free. We would've hit the amusement park or something…_ She grinned. _Ah, they're probably on a date or something. I'll just do what I usually do and just do some shopping._

She turned a corner and stopped, seeing the back of a familiar figure staring at a store window.

_Well, well, well. Looks like Tsubasa's waitin' for her._ She grinned. _Oh, this is so going to be fun._

She snuck in on him, and pranced onto his back. He let out a terrified yelp in a voice that didn't seem to ring any bells to her. She looked into his eyes, and realized that they were a deep violet.

_Wait…weren't Tsubasa's eyes gold?_

That's when she realized that she got the wrong guy. Startled and deeply embarrassed, she tossed herself off him.

"Wah!" She panicked. "Geez, sorry about that! I just thought you were someone else!"

"Don't people usually greet each other with hellos?" The man asked calmly.

"Well…if you were the guy that I thought you were, you'd get how I greeted people…" She laughed nervously.

"Oh…that could explain it."

She took another glance at him, and suddenly found herself wondering how she got the two of them mistaken. They did share some familiar concepts, like how they carried themselves and the mature look to them, but that was about it. This guy's hair was black, which was the opposite to Tsubasa's silver hair with black streaks _(a look that made her mistaken him for Tsubasa)_, and there was no flock over one of his eyes. He looked like a doctor, with the coat on him and the dress pants. Not to mention the very mature looking square glasses on his face.

"You headed off to work?" She asked.

"Huh?" He looked at his outfit. "No, I just go out like this."

"You're kidding me." She stared at him. "What's a twenty-year-old like you doing walking around here without a job?"

"Twenty?" He looked confused. "I'm only sixteen."

_Holy crap, he's a bishounen._ "Wait, wait, wait…WHAT?"

"Is it that hard for you to understand it?" He laughed.

"In that outfit, yes it does. You look way over sixteen, you know." Aira leaned on one leg. "I mean, have you ever shopped at a PacSun or a Spencers?"

"Um…" He pushed up his glasses. "I've been busy, so…not really."

_Oh, I am SO going to have fun with this guy._ "Well, are you free today?"

"Me? Well, I have to meet someone, but that's not until one, so…I guess I am."

"Great. By the way, I'm Aira, the girl who thought you were a friend of mine."

"And I'm Uzuki, the boy who clearly isn't the friend you were looking for." He smiled. "By the way, why did you ask that I was free?"

"Cause I have a running imagination and money to burn."

Before he was able to turn his head in confusion, she grabbed the corner of his jacket and dragged him down the street, much to everyone else's amusement. Through his mind, he was wondering what the heck she's going to do to him.

"Hey, before I start, I need to ask." Aira turned to him. "The glasses…do you actually need them or are they just a fashion accessory?"

"Huh? I…" He stood up. "I actually need them."

"Oh. Well then, this is going to be even more fun." She flashed a grin.

**------**

**DOMINO MALL 11:40 AM**

"Ta dah! A true bishounen makeover! Let's have a look at our model, shall we?!"

***Silence***

"Oh, come on out of here, Uzuki! I wanna have a look at you!"

"…No one's around, right?"

"Me and a couple of security cameras, but we all know that no one really pays attention to them, right?"

There was even more silence before the door slowly opened and he peeked out. She kept the hair in the same look, but she streaked most of it silver. He now had a black V-neck with a sleeveless gray vest. She switched the pants from dress to leather while still keeping the black look, and gave him sneakers.

"Hm…you're missing something…oh! Wait here!"

She zoomed out of there before he could blink. But when he did blink, she came back, and suddenly clipped a collar around his neck. He stared at himself in the mirror and turned a bright pink.

"So…what do you think?" She grinned.

"Um…" He stared at himself. "I'm…not sure…"

"Great!" She lifted a credit card to the cashier. "We're buying."

The cashier was too much in shock and admiration to notice the bubbly redhead waving the credit card in front of her face. He looked at the watch that she allowed him to keep.

"Oh damn. I have to meet up with someone soon." He looked up. "I appreciate the makeover. So how much do I owe you?"

"Owe?" Aira stared at the receipt and froze. "Holy…just don't rip them, OK?"

He stared at her in confusion before walking out of the store. The cashier and Aira watched as he looked around and headed toward a certain direction. There was a few seconds of silence.

"Um…" The cashier looked at Aira. "Are you two dating?"

"Nah." She said bluntly. "Knowing him, he might be gay."

"Yeah…cause men like him are always too pretty to be straight."

They both sighed.

**------**

**DOMINO PIER 12:04 PM**

"Hm…is this the place?"

Uzuki looked around. There was no one around, except for a few ship workers, a couple ships and huge storehouses. He looked at the piece of paper in his pocket and back up.

_He said that he know someone who could help me…_ He thought. _Where could he be? Then again, how'd he get my cell phone number? I never released my information to him…_

"There you are. I was worried that you were going to be late."

He turned around to see a figure walk toward him. He didn't look like a businessman, like he claimed that he was going to be, but he looked more casual, like Aira had suddenly kidnapped him for a makeover as well.

"Were you the one who called me?" He asked.

"Yeah, that was me." The man smiled. "I heard that you needed some information concerning your search?"

"Oh…" Uzuki blinked. "How'd you know, though? I don't think I told anyone."

"I just have my resources. And I can help you…" He lifted his finger. "But…I'm going to have to ask you to help me first."

"Help you? With what?"

"You…do have it, right?" He tilted his head. "What I'm looking for?"

"What are you even-?"

He walked forward and drew a circle around his lips, and then touched his forehead. In an instant, Uzuki paused, and he didn't say a word. The man backed up and smiled, admiring what he had just done.

"So you do have it…yet you never knew that you had it." The man shook his head and sighed. "The Millennium Rod should be used with care, Uzuki. You never know when someone will come out of nowhere and use its power on you. Alas, that's the weakness of a being who holds it in his soul."

He turned around.

"Well then…perhaps we should have a small chat before we start. You're probably wondering what my name is." He smiled. "I'm Ranile, your new master…"

**--- MEANWHILE… ---**

**DOMINO CENTER 10:03 AM**

"So then…I guess he's going to meet up with me here." Rune looked up from where she was sitting.

"_**Yeah, but how's he going to do that?"**_ Yugi looked around. _**"I mean, look at the crowd."**_

She looked around, noticing that the crowds were starting to get bigger and bigger. Many of them were holiday shoppers, while others were men who just had free time and wanted to have a stroll around.

_How the heck is he supposed to find us now? I don't think the Millennium Eye allows him binocular vision._

"No, but it does allow me to read thoughts." A voice said from behind her. "It makes tracking all the more easier."

She darted her head around, seeing Tsubasa smiling back at her with a smile on his face. Yugi thought it would be best to retreat to the corner of her mind and leave her alone.

"Wow…that was quicker than I thought." She said.

"Yeah, well…" He sat down. "That makes the two of us."

"So…what do you want to do?" Rune asked.

"Me? Well, I just wanted to talk."

Rune found herself blushing. True to what Aira claimed him to be, Tsubasa actually wasn't that bad-looking. Handsome? Well…let's not bring her to think of that part of the subject yet.

"Talk about what?" Rune tilted her head.

"Serious stuff." He sat up. "Like what the third Millennium Item is."

"Um…" She knew it was pointless, but she decided to do it anyway. "But what about the second one?"

"You have it." He said. "Don't worry about me, Yugi. You can come out."

She stayed silent, wondering if he was going to take up on his offer. There was silence for a few seconds. Finally, she felt a door open in her head, and he slowly stepped out into the open.

"_**You know about me?"**_

"I read minds. It's hard not to." Tsubasa grinned. "And about that uneasiness…it's probably because you didn't have any good experiences with the Eye."

"_**I don't have to ask…but you read my mind?"**_

"Sorry about that. I was trying to control it, and it got a little haywire." He sighed. "I didn't see anything too bad."

"_**That's good."**_

Footsteps echoed from in front of them, and they turned to see a lady figure staring in front of them. From the back of her mind, she could hear Yugi gasp.

"Can we help you?" Tsubasa asked plainly.

"Yes, actually." She lifted her hand up and pointed at Rune. "I challenge you to a duel, and if I win, you give me back Yugi Motou!"

"Huh?!" Rune darted up. "Hey…wh-what makes you assume that I even know what you're talking about?!"

"Shut up!" She ordered, causing people to stare at her. "I know you have something to do with his disappearance!"

Rune was speechless, wondering how the heck to handle the situation. She turned to Yugi in her mind, hoping he had an answer, but saw that he was speechless, unable to speak. He finally opened his mouth and uttered one word.

"_**Anzu?!"**_

**------**

**Yeah, this feels more like a filler than anything I know of. I hope you enjoy it.**


	8. Anzu Mizaki

**NO FLAMZ.**

**AND I DON'T OWN YU-GI-OH!**

**------**

**DOMINO CENTER 10:09 AM**

_Wait…you know this girl?!_ Rune turned to him.

"_**She's my best friend…"**_ He bit his lip. _**"How'd she find me?"**_

_She's probably jumping everyone. Maybe we can play her off and tell her when she's not trying to mug us on the streets!_ Rune turned to her. "You have to be kidding."

"I know that you know where he is. Don't lie to me!" Anzu growled. "I, Anzu Mizaki, will beat you! So duel me!"

Rune noticed that she had a Duel Disk with her, and realized that she didn't have one. She panicked a little until Tsubasa tapped her shoulder. Turning around, she saw that he had one in his hands.

"I thought it might come in handy." He said.

Smiling weakly, she took the Duel Disk and strapped it onto her arm. It switched on automatically, startling her. Staring at Anzu, she observed how the young woman plugged her deck into a certain section of the machine, and quickly followed suit. The floor in front of them began glowing as the machines began to work. Around them, the people began to go about their own business, thinking it was "a small duel" going on.

"I'll go first." Anzu drew her card. "I'll place this card face-down, and summon a monster face-down in defense position. And that'll end my turn."

"Uh…I guess it's my turn." Rune looked at her deck with a cringed face.

"_**You look uncomfortable. Are you scared of her?"**_

_No…I'm just really startled at her sudden remarks._ She turned her eyes to him. _Through all of Tsubasa's training, I think I can handle her._

"_**I believe that you can too."**_

_Really?! But…aren't you close friends with Anzu?!_

"_**I am. But I know that you were not involved with my disappearance."**_

_OK…so I can just beat her, no problem._ She drew her card. "I place these two cards face-down…and…uh…" She stared at her hand. "Oh, OK. I summon Dancing Fairy in Attack Mode!"

The machines roared to life, and the images of the Dancing Fairies came to fruition. For a few seconds, she almost forgot that she wasn't in a Shadow Duel. She also wondered how she didn't know that, concerning that this type of technology was going on for a while.

_OK…I don't think that the face-down card is a problem…so I'm going at it!_ "Now, Dancing Fairy! Attack the face-down card!"

She watched as her fairies attacked the monster. It showed the image of what looked to be a Petit Moth, and the monster was destroyed. Anzu lifted her arm.

"I activate my Trap Card, Solemn Wishes!" She declared. "And now that your turn is over, I can start, and my Solemn Wishes allows me to gain 500 LP every time I draw a card. And I just gained 500 LP."

**Anzu's LP:** 8500

_I guess she's not an experienced Duelist…_ Rune blinked. _Oh well…_

"OK then, I'll just lay this monster in Defense Position and end my turn." She looked up.

_Uh…OK…_ "My turn." She drew a card. _I keep thinking that the monster she has is a big one…_

"_**Rune. Listen to me."**_

_Huh? What did you want me to do?_

"_**End this duel as quickly as you can."**_

_No problem…but I don't think I can summon my high ATK monsters yet. I only have one monster on the field._

"_**No…you don't have to."**_

She stared at the card she drew, and noticed that she drew the Dark Magician. She turned her head around to see Tsubasa, who nodded in understanding. She looked back at her hand.

_I still don't see how summoning the Dark Magician is going to end the duel._ "I summon Double Coston in Attack Mode!" _And for good measure…_ "I activate the Trap Card Metalmorph! With this card I can increase the ATK of my Dancing Fairy by 300!"

The image of the metal jumped onto the fairies, forming them into mini Power Rangers. Rune had to do her best not to laugh.

"And that's not all! When I attack a monster, half of their ATK is added to my Dancing Fairy's total! Go!"

The fairies attacked the monster, and just like Rune thought it was, an image of the Spirit of the Harp appeared before being destroyed. After that, the Double Coston attacked her LP as well.

**Anzu's LP:** 6800

"Not bad…" Anzu drew her card. "But not enough."

**Anzu's LP:** 7300

"I place two cards face-down, and place this monster face-down, and I'll end my turn."

_She's just placing cards down…_ Tsubasa grinned. _Rune doesn't know it, but she just placed her into a corner. Guess she doesn't have much dueling experience. Then again, Rune had this all in the bag in the first three turns._

"OK, it's my turn." Rune drew her card.

"_**OK, you can summon the Dark Magician on the field. It'll sure to end this duel."**_

_Are you sure? I mean…it's only one monster._

"_**Just trust me."**_

_Uh…OK…but before I do that, those two face-down cards are really starting to bug me._ "I activate the Spell Card Gust! With that, all of your Spell and Trap cards go back into your hand!"

Anzu growled as she withdrew her cards.

"_**It's time."**_

_OK…_ "Now I activate my Double Coston's special ability. If I Tribute Summon it for a DARK attribute monster, it counts as two monsters! Now, I sacrifice my Double Coston to summon one of my best magicians! Come forth…Dark Magician!"

The air around the Double Coston began to glow, and when the wind faded, the Dark Magician stood in its place. It was then that Rune understood what he meant when he said that the Dark Magician will end the Duel.

"_**Anzu! Listen to me!"**_

"…Y-Yugi…?" Anzu stared in horror at the figure in front of her.

"_**Anzu, look."**_ He looked down. _**"Yes, I have been kidnapped, but this girl isn't any part of it. She saved me from who stole me. Don't blame her. Just stop this duel already. Please, Anzu."**_

She looked down onto the ground. After a few seconds, a small gasp came out of Tsubasa's mouth. Never a good sign. Anzu's head darted back up, and she didn't look anything past happy.

"I knew it! You really did kidnap him! And now you're trying to manipulate me into thinking otherwise!"

_Ooh…I knew it…_ Rune bit her lip.

"_**No, Anzu! You don't understand!"**_

"Shut up! I know enough!" She growled. "I will defeat you and find out what you did to him!"

"_**Anzu…no, you don't understand…"**_

"Can it, Yugi." Tsubasa said. "She obviously won't hear it from your mouth. You're gonna have to do it the long way."

"_**But…Anzu…"**_

"So you're in on it too, huh?!" Anzu growled. "There're always more of you."

"How about this?" Tsubasa lifted his arms as in peaceful surrender. "You beat Rune here, and we tell you all we know."

"Wha-?! TSUBASA!" Rune panicked.

"_Well, if we tell her the truth, she'll believe us. She's very trustworthy."_ Tsubasa winked.

_Are you serious?!_ "Well…I guess we can do that…" She lifted her hands. "OK, I attack with my Dancing Fairies and my Dark Magician!"

Yugi hesitated before doing so, a gesture that Rune quickly understood and forgave.

**Anzu's LP:** 2800

"You're good…but I'll let my cards decide that." Anzu drew her card. "I use my Spell Card Dark Hole! With this, I destroy all of your monsters."

A gigantic hole appeared in the middle of the stage, sucking everyone in. Yugi kept himself braced, trying to secure himself with all of his strength while holding onto the Dancing Fairies. It was a gesture that Anzu noticed and gasped at.

_Y-Yugi…?_ She bit her lip.

"Not so fast!" Rune lifted her hand. "I thought you would pull something like this off, so I activate the Trap Card Spell Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate the Dark Hole!"

The hole was surrounded by the Spell Jammer, and was quickly plugged in. Yugi relaxed as the winds died down and released the pixies. They sighed a deep breath of relief. Anzu was in shock, staring at the scene that just happened, before ending her turn.

"_You got her."_ Tsubasa smiled. _"She knows the truth now."_

Rune was shocked that Tsubasa predicted this far _(then again, it was probably the Eye)_, and drew her card.

"It's time to end this!" She nodded. "All right, everyone! Attack her directly!"

**Anzu's LP:** 0

**------**

**DOMINO CENTER 10:19 AM**

"I lost…" Anzu stated, her head lowered. "Yugi…"

Rune looked at Tsubasa, who smiled and nodded. He lifted his hand and made a gesture, asking for the Dark Magician Card. She stared at Yugi for a few seconds before allowing him to take it. He took it with a nod of thanks, and walked over to Anzu.

"Hey…Anzu, right?" He smiled. "I think you should hold this."

"H-hold it?" She looked panicked. "Wait…you're…giving this to me?"

"I'm not saying _that_…" Tsubasa grinned. "Just hold it."

Everyone stared at Tsubasa like he was a nut job_ (maybe he secretly was…must be Aira's doing)_, until Anzu shrugged and took a hold of it. She stared at the image of the card for about a few minutes before staring back at Tsubasa, wondering what to do now.

"Hey, shouldn't you be talking to her?" He asked.

"_**Who, me?"**_ Yugi looked at him. _**"But…I don't think I even can, not in my condition!"**_

"Sure you can. See? Look, she's reacting."

Rune and Yugi darted their heads toward Anzu, who looked like she heard a ghost talking to her. She slowly turned her head and locked eyes with her best friend, now shocked at the new ability that he had possessed.

"Yugi…is that you?"

"…_**Hey, Anzu. It's been a while."**_

"So…you weren't lying?" She turned to Rune. "Back at our duel…"

"_**No…I wasn't lying."**_ Yugi looked up. _**"Listen to me, Anzu. Something devastating is happening. The Millennium Items have returned to the surface, and someone is now after them."**_

"Someone summoned the Millennium Items?!" Anzu panicked. "Wait…could it be-?"

"_**No…he didn't return with the Puzzle…"**_

"I see."

Rune looked at Tsubasa, who was staring at Anzu like he was having a mental battle with her. Oddly enough, she saw that his hand was touching the Dark Magician as well. She also felt herself lost, wondering who "he" was.

"Do you know who's after the Millennium Items?" Anzu asked.

"_**No…but I do know where some of them are."**_

"You know the new wielders of the Items?!" Anzu stood. "Well, who?! Is it someone dangerous?!"

"_**You're looking at them."**_

Anzu paused for a minute before slowly turning her head toward Tsubasa and Rune. Tsubasa lifted his hand and waved like he didn't really care, but Rune looked nervous and Yugi's remark. She walked to Tsubasa.

"Which Item do you have?" She asked. "If you can talk about it."

"I have the Eye." He pointed at Rune. "She has the Puzzle."

"You have the Millennium Puzzle?!" Anzu jumped.

"Uh…j-just a fraction of it!" Rune took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Yugi has the rest of it. He is the original owner, of course."

"So…you have the rest of the Puzzle?" Anzu turned back around.

"_**Yeah."**_ Yugi nodded. _**"Don't worry. The Millennium Puzzle and the Millennium Eye are in safe hands. Both of them are exceptional Duelists, and they'll protect their Items any chance they have."**_

"That's a vow I like." Tsubasa grinned.

"_**Anzu…I have a favor to ask of you."**_ Yugi turned serious. _**"Get Jonouchi and Honda. Tell them that I'm OK, and tell them Rune's name. That way, she won't be falsely accused like she was now."**_

"I understand." Anzu nodded. "I'll stay in Domino City until you get your body back."

"_**Thank you…Anzu."**_

Tsubasa lifted the card out of Anzu's hand and returned it to Rune. Anzu turned around in confusion, before she noticed that Yugi was no longer talking to her. She stood up and turned to Rune.

"I have to go. Jonouchi and Honda need to know the truth." Anzu smiled. "Rune, right? Sorry about accusing you about Yugi."

"That's OK." Rune smiled. "At least you were right about me having information on Yugi. Your instinct must be good."

"Growing up with odd happenings must have a lasting effect on me." Anzu turned around. "Well, I have to be quick. Knowing those two, there're probably hunting him down as quickly as a cat chases a piece of string."

"That's actually a scary thought." Tsubasa grinned.

"I hope that we'll meet each other again…and this time, Yugi will have his own body." Anzu smiled. "Well, see you soon!"

"Bye, Anzu!"

Rune waved as Anzu ran past the crowds and disappeared into the masses.

"Actually…it wasn't her instinct that called her to you."

She turned to Tsubasa with a blank face, realizing that he had a faint grin on his face. She paused before a sudden realization smacked herself in the face.

"Wait…did _you_ lead her to me?"

"I guess I did." Tsubasa turned to her. "I mean, while we were talking, I heard her thoughts. She was all panicky on Yugi's condition, and she didn't seem to have any malice toward him, so…well, come to think of it, I was sorta willing her toward me. I never thought that it would actually work."

"_**The Millennium Eye must've had more power than I thought…if Pegasus knew of that power…"**_ Yugi shivered.

"What else haven't you told me?" She paused. "Wait, how'd you know that Yugi would communicate with Anzu if she had contact with the card?"

"Easy." He lifted up his index finger. "When I was talking to him, I had a finger on the card. And if I had to guess, it's the power of the Millennium Puzzle that allows you to talk to him without physical contact with his medium."

"Wow…you assumed a lot in the last couple of minutes…" Rune smiled. "I'm glad that I have you on the good guy's side."

"Hey, people like me are hard to come by." Tsubasa smiled.

**------**

**End of chapter! Relax, I'll have Aira dueling sooner or later, or maybe I'll get Sora in sooner or later.**


	9. Aira Tsumoyo

**NO FLAMZ PLEASE**

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH OR THE VOCALOID SET. WHY DO I MENTION THEM? READ ON.**

**------**

**DOMINO STREETS 2:39 PM**

"So…it looks like Yugi's friends are getting into the wide search." Tsubasa looked around. "How many more do you think's gonna come?"

"_**I think the majority of them are going to be rivals."**_ Yugi sighed. _**"Next to Anzu, I have two other close friends, Katsuya Jonouchi and Hiroto Honda. I wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly came out of nowhere and started accusing people."**_

"Um..." Rune noticed that Tsubasa wasn't touching the Dark Magician. "He says that he believes that the majority of the people looking for him would be the Duelists that want to be the King of Games."

"Makes sense, for their King to suddenly disappear like that." Tsubasa sighed. "And for every King in the world…there's always the people who choose the challenge for the crown…"

They walked down the streets in silence. Looking up, they barely noticed Aira bump into Tsubasa.

"Ow!!!" She looked up, sliding off one of the headsets from her ears. "Speak of the devil. Figured that you'll be out on a date."

"We're not dating!" Rune blushed.

"What are you even listening to?" Tsubasa asked, tilting his head.

"Oh…you mean this? Well then…CHECK IT OUT!" She lifted her IPod up to their faces. "I downloaded it before I left today! It's one of the new songs from the Vocaloids, called **Romeo and Cinderella!**"

"Uh…Aira…I thought that song was already out." Tsubasa blinked. "Remember? You kept forcing us to listen to it while we were on the field trip?"

"No, not that version! That only has Miku singing it." Aira grinned. "I mean FULL BLOWN CHORUS! It has Miku in it, but it also has Kaito, the Kagamine twins, Luka, Meiko, Teto AND Gakupo! _**Gakupo!**_ That guys' been based off of the all-famous singer Gackt! _**GACKT!**_ How can you not deny his beauty?!"

"_Uh…Rune, do you have any idea what she's saying?"_ Tsubasa asked.

"_Not one."_ Rune answered. "Well…I see that you had a productive day!"

"I know!" Aira grinned. _I probably shouldn't tell them about Uzuki's makeover. That made SUCH a dent in my wallet…_

She barely took a glance at Tsubasa, who looked somewhat curious, and pushed the memory **deep** into her mind. Hopefully, he didn't read it before she stored it away. So is the fate of those around mind readers…

"Oh, are we all meeting up?"

Everyone looked up to see Sora walking toward them, his yellow hair shining bright in the sunlight. So brightly, in fact, that it looked like it was a mirror was strapped to his head. They had to look away for a few seconds.

"No, this is another coincidence of ours." Rune answered with a smile.

"Huh…" He looked up. "Aira, what's with the DJ headset?"

"Oh, well, if you must know, I'm listening to the newest Vocaloid Mix!" She responded with a grin.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA. Hold on a second! You mean the **Romeo and Cinderella** mix with, like, eight Vocaloids? I couldn't find it on ITunes!" Sora gasped.

"I didn't find it on ITunes! I used the MP3 download! Here!"

Rune stared in curiosity as the two of them shared headphones and began to listen to the song, reciting lyrics that she never heard before. From the corner of her eye, she saw Tsubasa's hand clench for a split second before releasing.

"_**Heh…I think Tsubasa's jealous."**_ Yugi grinned, and he began laughing in her head.

_Jealous? Of what?_ Rune asked, oblivious.

"_Don't even THINK about it…"_ Tsubasa growled.

The both of them froze. Especially Yugi. He knew that Tsubasa couldn't hear him, but he knew that he could hear Rune's reaction. Meanwhile, the singing continued as usual.

"Ah HAH! I found the one!"

Everyone turned their heads to see a strange young man popping out of nowhere and landing right in front of them. He was dressed like a very bizarre superhero, complete with a mask and cape.

"I found the one who holds the King of Game's soul!" He praised himself. "Now my leader will be proud of me! I am going to be a HERO in his eyes!"

"Uh…what's this guy high on?" Aira blinked.

"_Should we be worried?"_ Rune asked.

"_He might be making us underestimate him. Don't buy it."_ Sora looked at him. "Who are you?"

"I am the legendary HERO OF ELEMENTS! The all-popular superhero who works for only one man: Ranile Hitsukari!" He pointed at Sora. "I'll eliminate all who stands in his way, even his rebellious brother!"

Everyone tensed up, knowing that they were going to be in for another Shadow Game. Rune looked up, and noticed that Tsubasa's eye was glowing, reading his mind. Oddly enough, the Hero of Elements was unfazed. His eye stopped glowing.

"He knows only as much as we do." He informed. "Looks like your brother knows my secret."

"I hoped that we would get a little more information…" Sora sighed.

"HEY! Don't you be using me!" The man glared at him. "Now, I will have to eliminate all of you! Come, my heroes! Turn my enemies into nothing!"

The shadows around them began to gather as the images around them vanished. Oddly enough, Yugi felt comfortable around the shadows. Rune dismissed it as just being used to it.

"So…which one of you _losers_ do I have to bring justice to?" He grinned.

"He's from my brother…" Sora stepped forward, holding his deck in his right hand. "I'll be **more** than happy to-"

"_**HOLD IT!"**_

Sora jumped, clearly confused on what just happened. Everyone turned to see Aira standing feet apart and arms folded, a strange yet creepy grin spread throughout her face. Tsubasa blinked.

"So…you're my contender?" The Hero of Elements grinned. "Good. I thought that there would be a huge debate on it."

"Are you sure, Aira?" Tsubasa turned to her.

"Of **COURSE** I am!" She grinned, stepped forward. "This guy clearly has egotistical issues and needs a really good roughing up! And who better to do that than the one who clearly wants nothing more than to bash the head in of the first lackey who actually told us his _**name!"**_

_Is that it…?_ Tsubasa blinked.

"So then, my enemy!" The Hero of Elements grinned and posed. "I will defeat you and reclaim glory to my master, who wants nothing more than to purify this world from all of its evils!"

"Yeah, by plaguing the world into so much darkness that you can't even tell what the heck darkness _**is.**_ What a great hero." Aira sighed. "Can we _**start**_ now?"

"Fine then…" He stood on one foot. "Draw your Soul Card!"

Aira drew her Soul Card as the light surrounded it. She lifted it into the air as an image formed. It seemed to be a young girl with a grin on her face and a fox spiraling around her.

"Take a nice glance at my Familiar-Possessed Hiita!" She grinned. "A nice Soul Card, don't you think?"

"Not as good as my Soul Card!" He drew his card. "Please welcome, my good enemies, the Elemental Hero Bladedge!"

The image of a golden man flew over their heads and landed behind him, a grin all over its golden face. Hiita had to jump behind Aira in order for her not to be crushed by its weight.

"Geez, egotistical much!" Aira sighed. "OK, Court time! C'mon Hiita, kick his butt!"

**Hero of Elements' Court:** Elemental Hero Captain Gold

Elemental Hero Heat

Elemental Hero Clayman

Elemental Hero Voltic

**Aira's Court:** Ice Master

Wynn the Wind Charmer

Eria the Water Charmer

Aussa the Earth Charmer

"Not a bad Court." The Hero of Elements grinned. "Simple, I believe."

"Yeah, I know." Aira twitched. _Geez…so many Elemental Heroes. Does this guy have a life at all?_

"Let's begin! Go my heroes! Destroy my enemies!"

"Yeah, yeah! Kick his ass, or at least keep his mouth shut!"

The monsters charged, ready to attack. The air around them tensed as they dodged each other's default attacks.

_What a sucker!_ The Hero thought, a grin on his face. _Those monsters don't even begin to make a threat on my Elemental Heroes! Weak as a lackey…makes my job so much easier, and in a good way too!_

_OK…now what do I do?_ Aira looked at her monsters. _ATK wise, they won't stand a chance against them…not if I gang up on them. My strongest monsters are my Soul Card and my Ice Master, but they can easily gang up on them…unless…_

"Does she have a chance?" Rune asked.

"A better chance than you think." Tsubasa grinned. "In fact, I think this is going to be the easiest duel she ever fought!"

"All right then. My brave heroes! Take them down!" The Hero's hand raised itself. "With the effect of my Elemental Hero Heat, his ATK has just been increased to 2400! Now then, take the life of the pitiful Eria!"

Eria screamed as the Hero Heat began to charge toward her. Aira snapped her fingers, and Ice Master jumped out of nowhere and stood in front of her. They quickly defeated the monster, throwing it back.

**Hero's MP:** 9100

**Aira's MP:** 9000

_As long as that Ice Master's there…well then, divide and conquer!_ The Hero lifted his hand. "Elemental Hero Heat! Elemental Hero Clayman! Keep that Ice Master company, if you please!"

Aira jumped as those two monsters jumped over their heads and in front of Ice Master. No matter how many times she moved, they wouldn't move out of the way. She tried her best to attack, but failed. Their ATK was too much for her.

_OK, so much for getting my Ice Master for a cover._ Aira bit her lip. _So…wait…wow, I'm an idiot!_ "OK, I activate the effects of all of my Charmers! By Tributing them, I can summon more powerful forms of themselves! Time for a level-up!"

**Aira's MP:** 7500

Their familiars entered their bodies, and the young charmers jumped to their feet, ready to attack.

"OK then! Aussa!" Aira lifted her hand. "You're the closest! Whack the Clayman out of the way!"

Since the Clayman was taken off-guard, Heat's ATK could count. He swacked him out of the way, and then quickly led Ice Master out of the way before Heat could counterattack.

"And since the Clayman was off-guard…his ATK nor DEF counts!" Aira grinned. "Which means that you just got attacked directly!"

**Hero's MP:** 7250

"The evil…it's starting to win!" The Hero gasped. "I fear that if I don't do anything soon, it will be the end of me…!"

_OK, this guy is definitely using something._ Aira blinked. _He sounds like he's in the middle of an American comic._

"_Wonder what he's using!"_ Hiita laughed.

"Holy crap, you're talking!" Aira jumped at the sound of Hiita's voice. "Whoa. You even sound like me!"

"_Well, I am a part of you."_ Hiita explained. _"It's explainable on why we have the same voice."_

"OK…well, we'll leave it on that right now." Aira stood on her tiptoes. "Right now, that Bladedge is wide open because the 'Hero' is too busy contemplating on his position. Hiita, jump him! Eria, follow her!"

The two Charmers jumped in the air and attacked Bladedge, who spiraled from the attack and crashed behind the Hero. He gasped.

**Hero's MP:** 6150

"Get your head in the game, nutcase! Cause I'm about to show you a tactic of Shadow Game Dueling that you never saw before!" Aira lifted her hands up in the air. "I activate the Spell Card: United We Stand!"

**Aira's MP:** 7400

"So now you're using magic?" The Hero grinned. "Well, for naught! Elemental Hero Voltic! Captain Gold! Attack her while she's casting!"

**Hero's MP:** 5150

"She's wide open…" Sora bit his lip. "And their combined ATK goes up to 3100."

"What's she planning?!" Rune asked.

"Something very…new." Tsubasa blinked.

The gauntlets that were the image on the card sudden formed onto her arms. Suddenly, with the usual Aira grin on her face, she leapt into the air and did a drop kick on both of them, sending them flying.

**Hero's MP:** 4250

"What in the blazes…?!" The Hero jumped. "What kind of magic did you…use?"

"Magic? Uh…I used the magic that we're using right now." She said, confusion on her face. "Does that count?"

"But…but the weapons…on your arms…" The Hero gasped.

"Oh, the gauntlets? Well, that's just common sense coming into play!" Aira grinned. "Think about it, if we're in a game where the Duelists are always in grave danger, isn't it common sense for the Duelists to defend themselves? And think about it this way: the United We Stand card allows the equipped monster to have their ATK and DEF increased by 800 per monster on their side of the field. And since I have five monsters on the field…well, I'm a given! So…here I go!"

She jumped into the air, her Soul Card following suit. The Hero gasped at the quick counterattack as Hiita smacked him away toward Aira, and she drop-kicked him into the ground, landing perfectly on her toes.

"The end!"

**Hero's MP:** 0

The Hero screamed as the shadows took his soul. Aira grinned at Hiita as the Shadow Game faded away.

**------**

**Please read and review! Sorry that Aira's duel is really quick. It's just really fun.**


	10. The Bargain He Can't Refuse

**Next chapter, everyone! Let the after effect begin! And yes, I am serious in all that I type. Maybe. Sometimes I doubt something, but…yeah, I'm serious.**

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!**

**------**

**DOMINO STREETS 2:51 PM**

"You did it, Aira!" Rune cheered. "You beat that weirdo!"

"I know!" Aira winked. "And what a good change of pace! All of the battles till now were too serious! And the fact that the first fun battle was with the first guy who actually told us his name!"

"_**That's **_what you're thinking?!" Sora jumped. "Are you serious?!"

"Don't stop her train of thinking." Tsubasa grinned. "She might be onto something."

"Like…what?" Sora asked.

"Well…for once," He pointed at her feet. "She's standing on her tiptoes. And if I know her as well as I do, she's clumsier than a toothpick standing on the ground."

"Hey! What the heck does that-?!"

She paused, realizing that she really was standing on her tiptoes like a ballerina. Aira was a little shocked, since she _**never**_ had balance as great as this before, so she slowly lowered herself back onto her heels. Then, out of nowhere, she did a back flip and landed on her left hand. There she stood, perfectly balanced. Still in that pose, she looked up to her friends in confusion, lifting herself to just balancing on one finger.

"Does this have anything to do with the Shadow Realm and the creepy duel that I just had?" She asked.

"Uh…probably not." Rune looked at Tsubasa. "I wasn't able to do anything extraordinary after my Shadow Duel…or maybe because it didn't count?"

"I don't think it counts." Tsubasa looked back at Aira. "I think it's something a little more…simpler."

"Uh…define simpler." Aira flipped back to her feet.

Sora blinked in a strange realization as he looked at Aira's fingers and feet. They didn't look strange or abnormal. They were just ordinary hands and feet. He rubbed his chin in confusion as a thought entered his mind.

_Maybe…maybe she's __**gifted**__ as well?_ He looked at his phone. _My parents were right to have sent me here._ "I think I got your answer."

"OOH! So you know what's going on with me?" Aira's eyes widened with hope.

"My parents did mention something about taking precautions when it came to the strange powers…" Sora dug into his pockets. "And, _come to think of it_, they did tell me to give this to the person who held the power specific to its meaning."

"Meaning?" Aira blinked. "What meaning?"

Sora pulled a card out of his pocket and gave it to her. She quickly took it and looked at the image. It was an oddly-colored dragon, half-white and half-black. It also had the image of it glowing. Suddenly, something made a ding in her mind.

"_You are the one…the one who holds the balance."_

She darted her head up and around her vicinity in a frenzy. They watched as she was swinging around for a couple of minutes in confusion, and then turned her head back to them.

"I'm guessing…you guys didn't say anything." She concluded with a frown.

"No…why?" Rune asked.

"Sora…you knew about this." Tsubasa looked at him.

"Not really." He answered. "All my parents told me was that the person that held the _**power**_ would be able to use the Feather of Ma'at to its true potential."

"Feather of wha-?" Aira looked at the card. "Dude, it says **Light and Darkness Dragon** on the headset. What the heck are you talking about?"

"_**Feather of Ma'at…"**_ Yugi blinked. _**"Hey, isn't that mentioned in Egyptian legends?"**_

"Yugi's asking if the Feather of Ma'at was mentioned in an Egyptian legend before." Rune dictated.

"It was." Tsubasa looked at Rune. "The Feather of Ma'at is the symbol of justice and truth, its job to judge the hearts of the people that had died and descended to the underworld. If the person's heart was lighter than the feather, then they're allowed to enter the afterlife. If not, well…they vanish off the face of the planet."

"So it's part of a…judging system?" Rune tilted her head.

"_**No doubt…"**_ Yugi looked up. _**"It's obvious now. Aira most definitely has access to a Millennium Item."**_

_A Millennium Item?_ Rune turned to him. _No way! Both of my friends with Items?! Is that even a coincidence?_

"_**I want to say so…but maybe it's because of the fact that you hold the Puzzle. It might've rubbed off on them and had a spiritual effect, if you get it."**_

"Wait, that would mean that Aira has a Millennium Item like Tsubasa then?"

Everyone looked at Rune, who looked flustered by the sudden attention that her voiced reaction caught. Sora, however, merely laughed out loud and walked toward Aira and turned to the other two.

"Sure looks like it." He answered.

"Wha-?! A Millennium Item?! _**Suh-**__**weeeeeeat**__**!"**_ She jumped. "Which one do I have? The Rod?! Ooh, how 'bout the Necklace?!"

"Aira…" Tsubasa shrugged. "You got the Millennium Scales."

Her hope suddenly and quickly dropped, and she drooped like a dying flower, depressed that the most powerful forces in the universe had left her with the most useless of the Millennium Items. At least in her opinion.

**------**

**DOMINO CROSSINGS 5:29 PM**

"Stop complaining, Aira. Be grateful that you even _got_ one."

"I know, Tsubasa…I've been telling myself that for the past couple hours!"

They walked slowly through the streets as the flocks of people began to thin and thin. Suddenly, Rune felt a strange shiver down her spine, and Yugi's presence began to tighten. She darted her head toward Tsubasa, who was still walking with the same calmness as before, and noticed that he was aware of her change of mood. As quickly as the sudden change of the atmosphere, a clapping sound could be heard.

"Not bad, not bad. Beating _**two **_lackeys without skipping a heartbeat. I have to commend you on that."

Everyone suddenly tensed as a man walked out from the alleyway. It was a blond man with a small ponytail and, believe it or not, a T-shirt and jeans. He grinned, which made Sora tense up even more.

"Ranile…" He growled.

"Wha-?! The major bad guy?!" Aira got into a battle pose. "Isn't it a little early for this?!"

"A sense of humor…you got yourself quite a rebellion group, Sora." Ranile lowered his arms. "But why would you try to fight this? This…is what you want, isn't it, Sora? To use the powers of Yugi Motou for our gain?"

"Shut up! You don't know anything about me!"

"But Sora…I do know about you. I know _**everything**_ about you." Ranile smiled. "I know how you always blindly followed our parents' orders, going around as their lapdog, while secretly wondering why they never seemed to be around."

"Shut _**up!"**_

"I only speak the truth. They only tell you what to do, Sora, and yet you were never told why. For all you know, they could've sent you away just to see you die. I was always the better one of the both of us."

"No! You don't mean that!"

"I was always the better one. I was the one with the better knowledge, the better connections, the better…looks, if you think about it." He stroked his own hair. "But despite my superiority, I cared for you when our parents couldn't. Remember that accident, four years ago, in our parent's study? We almost died, and yet you were _**cursed out**_ and nearly ignored."

Sora fell to his knees, the reality crashing down on him.

"Why? Because they think it was _**your**_ fault that it happened! They were wrong, Sora. I know that, and this is only revenge for what they did to you."

"You…don't…know me…at all!"

"But Sora…I _**do **_know you…I mean, we are-"

He flipped backward to see the image of the Dark Magician throw his magic at him. Looking up, he saw the Dark Magician reel upward, and Rune behind him, her hand out. Tsubasa was next to her, and Aira was kneeling with Sora, comforting him.

"I see…you're Rune Washiku, the one who holds the key." He looked up at the Dark Magician. "And I can see that Yugi has done well to adapt into his new body."

"_**No thanks to you."**_ He countered. _**"You did this, didn't you?"**_

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't." Ranile smiled. "But I wouldn't mind asking for him back, now would I?"

"I'm never giving him to you!" Rune countered. "Not after what you did to him and Sora!"

"Yes, that would be the reaction that would always happen, is it?" He sighed. "Perhaps it would be better if we had a trade?"

"A trade-off?! For what?!" Aira darted upward. "Your head on a platter?! Cause that'll be the only thing I'll agree on!"

"Not really…" Ranile grinned. "But it'll do."

Another figure walked out of the alleyway and slowly turned to face them. It was a young man with black hair, glimmering lines of bright silver, looking back at them with shining violet eyes…

"Uzuki!?" Aira's eyes widened. "How the heck did they get you?!"

Rune turned to Aira, shocked that she knew who that person was. On instinct, she turned to Tsubasa, only to see that his face has gone pale white and that he was shaking rapidly.

"_Tsubasa?"_ She blinked.

"…" He growled. "How the **hell** did you get your hands on him?!"

"I did it the same way you've been looking for him. I looked around." He answered. "This is a bargain I know you can't refuse. The owner of the Millennium Puzzle…for the life of your younger brother."

Everyone darted their heads toward Tsubasa, who was still shocked at the whole turn of events that occurred.

"Your _**brother?!"**_ Aira jumped to her feet. "Holy…I thought they looked similar, but…good lord…"

She lowered her hands in confusion when she suddenly stumbled to her right. Confused, she straightened herself and dusted off any dirt that might've gotten on her. That's when she realized that the Light and Darkness Dragon card was in her left hand.

"_So it reacted?"_ She heard Hiita mutter. _"This isn't good. The trial wasn't…"_

_Huh…? Trial?_ Aira answered. _You know how the thing that I inherited works?_

"_It's called the Millennium Scales, Aira. And I have some form of how it works. Being the least threatening of the Items meant I could safely experiment with it in your head." _Hiita reacted. _"From what I was able to learn, not only does it judge light and darkness, it also judges outside effects on a person's mind."_

_Outside effects? _"Like mind manipulation!" She darted her head to Uzuki. _Of course! Uzuki hadn't responded to me this entire time! There's only one thing that can cause that!_ "Guys! Ranile's got the Millennium Rod!"

Everyone turned to Aira's random remark, a remark that made Ranile laugh.

"For being such the loud-mouthed of the group, you do have your enlightened moments." Ranile grinned, patting Uzuki's shoulder. "Yes, I have the Millennium Rod, but not in the same way that _**you**_ have your Scales…or his with the Eye."

From the corner of Rune's eye, she saw Tsubasa's eyes widened.

"U-Uzuki…" He stammered out.

"That's right. Both of you were chosen by destiny to hold unremarkable power." Ranile lifted his hand. "But every power has its greatest weakness. It was just too bad that he hadn't realized it until now. Now then…back to business. The boy for your brother. Plus, you get to have your body back. A double-plus!"

Tsubasa turned to Yugi, who had the same shocked look on his face. Suddenly, Yugi nodded, as of understanding the depth of the situation, and floated slowly toward Ranile and his prisoner.

"_**I accept the deal."**_ He said.

"Yugi?!" Rune gasped.

"_**I know that Ranile should never have his hands on a power as old and dangerous as the one I have."**_ Yugi touched his chest. _**"But I also know that this is something that we can't refuse. Tsubasa had been looking for his brother for a lot longer than I can even begin to imagine."**_

"Yugi…it can't end like this." Tsubasa said. "We can get around this. Save both you and Uzuki."__

"_**No, Tsubasa. It'll be too dangerous for Uzuki."**_ Yugi went closer. _**"This is…for the best."**_

**------**

**And so the chapter comes to an end. I'll update as soon as I can, so deal with the suspense for a little longer, 'kay?**

**Oh yeah, by the way, sorry for using the Light and Darkness Dragon here if you were expecting a smooth-cut Yu-gi-oh without the GX or 5Ds in it. I couldn't think of anything better.**


	11. Hiromi Ichigo

**And so I update! How're you with the suspense? Dealing well? Yeah, I know. Well, without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! If so, 4Kids never would've dubbed it.**

**------**

**DOMINO CROSSROADS 5:58 PM**

"So…you're accepting the bargain?" Ranile grinned.

"_**Yes."**_ Yugi answered. _**"Now let Uzuki go."**_

"Sure…why not?" He looked at him. "Go on."

Uzuki walked toward Yugi, meeting up with him halfway between the both of the groups. Suddenly, Uzuki lifted both of his arms, and yellow blades came out of his sleeves. Jumping in the air, he pinned Yugi to the ground.

"Uzuki?!" Tsubasa gasped.

"That's how gullible you really are, aren't you Yugi?" Ranile laughed. "Oh well. At least our job here's done. C'mon. We should get him back."

"Not on my watch!"

Rune stepped forward, the Dark Magician Card in her hand, and held it in the air. On command, Yugi's spiritual body vanished, returning back to the card that he hosted. Everyone watched it in shock.

"So you're not dumb. That's good. There's a challenge in it." Ranile turned to them. "Uzuki, get that card."

With the blades still in his sleeves, he ran quickly toward them, catching Rune off guard. Fortunately, Aira jumped out of nowhere and delivered a drop-kick from the air. He flipped back just as she recovered.

"Thankfully, I considered the possibility of a jump attack." Aira grinned. "And thanks to the Millennium Scales, I now have karate skills!"

"Really?" Ranile tilted his head as if he was amused. "Sure wish I had that…guess I can just take it. Uzuki, go!"

Despite the really random remark when it came to karate skills, Aira sure had the room to experiment. It actually looked like an actual fight was going on. The people around them, odd enough, were ignoring them, minding their own business. Sora slowly lifted himself onto his feet as Aira's attack threw Uzuki back.

"Don't hurt him-!" Tsubasa stepped forward, panic in his voice for the first time.

"Relax, I think he's fine." Aira grinned. "All I need to do is knock him out and it's all over, right?"

"Don't think it's that easy." Ranile grinned.

She blinked, and saw a strange figure behind Uzuki. It looked like an alien with his eyes covered. Actually, at a deeper glance, it looked more like an alien sage with his eyes covered.

"_That's the Mutant Mindmaster!"_ Hiita remarked. _"That…that's his Soul Card?!"_

_Oh…crap. I didn't plan this far ahead. But…go with the flow! _"Familiar-Possessed Hiita, come to my aid!"

By her command, her Soul Card came up to her aid. Both Soul Cards glared at each other, ready to tear the limbs out of each other, more Hiita than the alien weirdo she was facing.

"OK! I'm getting sick of the whole 'hostage' thing!" She growled. "I am going to be _so_ happy when I beat your behind!"

"How's that going to happen?" Ranile tilted his head. "His Mutant Mindmaster is stronger than your Hiita, and you aren't strong enough to summon more than your Soul Card."

_Oh…crap._ She blinked. _I wasn't planning on that._

She took a step back as the Mutant Mindmaster lifted his hand to attack when a mechanical angel descended from the sky, quickly taking Hiita's side. Everyone blinked in confusion. Uzuki looked the least confused, and for the shortest of seconds, Tsubasa saw the symbol of an eye on his head.

"That's my Bountiful Artemis, my Soul Card." A voice rang out. "I hope I'm not too late. I came to join the party."

Everyone turned their heads to see a mature woman walking toward them, the other people walking by as if nothing was happening. She had a boyish cut black hair with a paperboy hat on her head, as well as a jeans jacket with a black tie. She had a red-and-black plaid skirt and high heeled, high rise boots, and her black eyes turned quickly toward the group. She stopped next to Aira's side.

"Uh…thanks." Aira blinked.

"No thanks needed." The woman answered. "I'm just doing what I have to."

"Who are you?" Rune blinked, confused.

"Me? I'm Hiromi Ichigo." She looked at Ranile. "But you already know that."

"I'm supposed to know everything." He answered. "Quite frankly, I thought you'd be a little late."

"I knew that you'd say that." Hiromi leaned on one leg. "So…are we starting yet?"

Uzuki lifted his hand and the Mutant Mindmaster folded his arms together. Aira stared at the monster in front of her and wondered if that was going to move at all. She contemplated on what to do next.

"_He won't be attacking."_ Hiromi muttered. _"If you hadn't realized it already, his Soul Card doesn't have an ATK, so it'll stay there for a while."_

"_Oh…so we go all-out."_

Hiita and Bountiful Artemis jumped into the air as fast as they could and was able to successfully push the Mutant Mindmaster away. He slid back, much to Uzuki's amazement. Ranile, however, didn't have any form of shock on his face. He actually looked a little entertained.

"Good, good." He clapped.

"_Watch your back."_ Hiromi whispered. _"In five seconds, five of his lackeys are going to attack you from behind."_

Aira darted her head around to see five men jump out of nowhere, their Soul Cards in the air, ready to attack. Everyone summoned their Soul Cards and counter-attacked, the five of them tossed out of the way. Rune turned her head toward Ranile, shocked to see that, during the whole surprise attack, he was on his cell phone, taking up a call. He hung up when they caught eye contact.

"I hope you can deal with them." Ranile turned around. "C'mon Uzuki. We have to go."

Before Tsubasa could react, the both of them were gone. He quickly turned his head back toward the five men in front of him, and growled deeply. His Eye began to glow a bright light, and the air around him began to tighten.

"You…are _**not**_…getting in my way!" He growled.

"Oh. Crap." Aira bit her lip. "Rune. Back up. Now."

Hiromi pulled her away as Tsubasa stepped in front of them. He closed his eyes, and the Silent Swordsman came into form. Suddenly, the air around his Soul Card began to glow, and it grew. When the glow faded, the Silent Swordsman was bigger, and his sword was balancing perfectly on its shoulder.

"His Soul Card leveled up." Hiromi nodded. "Not bad."

Tsubasa's eyes were still closed when the Silent Swordsman began to attack the five Soul Cards. With one huge slash, it destroyed all five of them in one attack. Growling, the five minions raised more monsters, monsters that Tsubasa easily destroyed. It kept going and going until he couldn't take it anymore. He crashed onto the ground, his Soul Card vanishing.

"Geez, how far can these people go?!" Aira stood. "These guys can go on forever! Don't they have MP or something?!"

"Forget that!" Hiromi growled. "Tsubasa doesn't have enough energy left! We have to get him out of there!"

"Right!" Rune nodded.

Summoning their Soul Cards, they quickly countered. During the whole shebang, Aira grabbed Tsubasa and dragged him as far away from them as she could. She pulled up next to Sora, who was still in shock.

"Hello?! Earth to Sora!" She snapped her fingers in front of him. "Are you alive?! Sora!"

"Leave him alone. He won't snap out of it to join us." Hiromi stated. _"Man…they're sure taking their sweet time."_

"Who's…what?" Rune looked up to Hiromi, and then to the sky. "Huh?!"

Looking above them, the five men saw a blond man and another man charge out of nowhere and punch two of them in the face. They skidded back and snapped back up, and relief flowed through Rune's body.

"_**Jonouchi! Honda!"**_

_They're__ Jonouchi and Honda? Wow…_ She gawked for a while, and then shook her head. "Thanks, you guys!"

"No problem. Anyone harassing our friend is an enemy." Honda grinned. "So…you're Rune, right?"

"Calls go far in such short notice." Hiromi nodded. "But enough about that. We still got them to deal."

Looking up, they saw the five men summoning more monsters to attack. Jonouchi reeled back in panic, but Honda gripped himself to the floor, ready to pound their heads in.

"You can't beat them like that, Honda." Hiromi instructed. "You have to summon your Soul Card!"

"Soul…what?!" He looked up.

"It's easy. Just draw the first card from your deck." She instructed. "Blond boy! I'm talking to you too! Get your Soul Card out!"

"All right, all right!" Jonouchi whined.

They grabbed their decks and drew their first cards, and the figures of their beasts started to form behind them. They gawked at the size of the monsters that formed behind them.

"The Red Eyes Black Dragon…" Rune turned. "And the Command Knight…are they their Soul Cards?"

"Whoa!" Jonouchi gawked. "That's-!"

"It's all yours to command." Hiromi grinned. "One more attack should fend them off! Let them have it!"

Despite being a little annoyed that they were being commanded by a woman, they turned their heads toward their enemies and fired their attacks. A few swipes later, the five of them were running away. They all turned back toward Rune, who was startled by their stares. In a panic, she turned back to Sora, who had gotten out of his little world and was helping Aira handle Tsubasa, who was still out.

"Tsubasa! Tsubasa?!" She was shaking him. "Hey, c'mon! Wake up already! Tsubasa!!"

"He's not waking up?" Jonouchi blinked.

"We have to get him to the hospital!" Rune panicked.

Around that time, the people were finally starting to realize what was going on. They all turned and panicked at the young man unconscious on the street, and many of them were calling for the ambulance, which was a welcome relief. Through the chaos, Sora turned to Hiromi with a straight stare.

"This was all your doing, isn't it?" He said.

Hiromi just smiled.

**------**

**DOMINO HALLWAYS 6:37 PM**

Rune had the unwelcome job of telling his parents on what had happened. She was just grateful _(and swift)_ when she hung up the phone. Once she did, she thudded against the wall next to the phone and slid down to the ground.

"That…" She sighed. "Was the worst three minutes of my life."

"_**I know. I felt it too."**_ Yugi stated. _**"But…at least he'll be OK."**_

_I know. That's why I'm not panicking._ Rune lifted out her Dark Magician Card. _But…Yugi…Ranile took full advantage of you. He almost got a hold of your soul._

"_**I thought I didn't have a choice. Rune…that was Tsubasa's **__**brother**__**. What was I supposed to do?"**_

_I don't know…but I'm just grateful that he didn't. _She fell silent. _So…that really was Tsubasa's missing brother. I can't believe it. I hope Tsubasa's handling it well._

"_**He went into a fit of rage on the people that worked for Ranile and nearly died, Rune. I never saw someone be so angry before."**_

_I've never seen Tsubasa show any sign of emotion, other than seriousness and when he's trying to handle something Aira did. _Rune shivered. _He…didn't even look like him._

"_**I'm sure he'll snap back into it."**_ Yugi insisted.

_Yeah…I really hope so._

**------**

**DOMINO HOSPITAL ROOM 309 6:40 PM**

"Hiromi Ichigo…correct?" Sora looked at her.

"That's my name." She nodded.

Everyone was sitting around Tsubasa's hospital bed, staring back at her. She didn't look startled by their sharp stares, instead she actually looked interested by the questions floating around them.

"So then…what'd you want to start on?" She asked briskly.

"How'd you make those people unable to see the Shadow Duel?" Sora started. "And how did you know our names?"

"The reason's easier than you might think, Sora." Hiromi said. "It's not that complicated. In fact, I think you might have an idea on it already."

Sora stared at her in question, only to see her lift her arms up to her neck. The air around it began to glow, and an image began to form around her neck. The glow was still there a few seconds later, but the figure was crystal clear. Everyone jumped.

"Wait, is that the Millennium Necklace?!" Jonouchi jumped.

"That's impossible!" Honda darted up to his feet. "Those Items had been sealed off! Two years ago!"

"Only their physical forms have, young man. Their true powers were only released." Hiromi lowered her arms. "I obtained the Necklace two years ago, and with it, I've seen into the future. That's how I've learned of your names and your actions."

"How'd _**you**_ get it, though?! I thought Isis was the owner of the Necklace!" Jonouchi blurted.

"Who?" Aira blinked.

"I was curious about that as well, so I went to her for questions." Hiromi turned to him. "She didn't believe me…until I showed her the Necklace. Afterwards, she told me that the visions that I would see would be both the past and future, and that I must take great heed on both. And when I looked into the future, I saw the other Millennium Items taking spiritual form. Sora…all of the Millennium Items are in this world. Being sealed away has nothing to do with a limit to their powers."

"All of them?" Sora blinked.

"Yes." She turned toward the door. "I cannot see clearly to Ranile's history for some reason…but all I can tell you is that he is after not only Yugi, but Rune as well. Take great caution, and protect them both."

"Hey, wait!" Aira darted up to her feet. "Where the heck are you going?!"

"I'm no longer needed here." Hiromi turned to them. "I'll be back when I have to, but until then…I go alone."

She turned and walked out of the door, passing a very confused Rune. They watched her vanish from sight, and then they began to wonder what her words had actually meant.

**------**

**If none of the information made any sense, I'll try to clear it up later. And yeah, expect some of the old Yu-gi-oh characters to come back. See? Isn't this better than GX and 5Ds? **

……

**Yeah, don't answer that.**


	12. Her Deepest Secret

**Next chapter, everyone! Yeah, some explanations are going to be in there…not including the one that Hiromi had last chapter. And be prepared for a strange shocker. If…you weren't expecting it.**

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH. I'm not that smart. Have you noticed the lack of card games?**

**Oh yeah…I DO NOT OWN VOCALOID EITHER.**

**------**

**DOMINO HOSPITAL ROOM 309 6:49 PM**

"Where's Hiromi going?" Rune asked, turning back to the group.

"Don't know." Sora answered. "She didn't tell us, but she did say that she's coming back."

"Oh…that's good." She responded. "By the way…the way that she predicted everything back there. Did she ever mention about it?"

"Yeah, actually." Honda straightened himself. "She said that she inherited a Millennium Item. The Necklace. Have you heard of it?"

"_**The Millennium Necklace?!"**_ Yugi gasped. _**"Isis's Item?"**_

"I've…heard of it." Rune answered. "Well…Yugi did."

"Yugi?!" Jonouchi jumped to his feet. "You know where he is?!"

"Dude, Anzu told us that she had contact with him. Weren't you paying attention?" Honda stated.

"Honda, you were on the phone that entire time!" He argued.

"Guys! Not in a hospital!" Aira stood. "At least have the generosity to do it in the hallway or the elevator or _**something!"**_

"Uh…do you guys…actually want to talk to him?" Rune tilted her head.

"You can do that?!" They both gasped.

Rune didn't answer back. She just pulled out the Dark Magician card and handed it over to the both of them. Jonouchi took it with confusion, and Honda reached out to touch it, wondering if it had something to do with the image on the card.

"_**Jonouchi. Honda. It really is you guys."**_

Sora and Aira stood silent as the two men turned around to see their friend smiling back at them. They jumped into the air, tossing the card as well, and…well, once the card was out of their hands, the vision was gone. They stood there, confused.

"That's odd." Honda blinked. "I could've sworn that I saw Yugi over there."

"I saw him too." Jonouchi turned to Rune. "Was that…?"

"Uh…guys?" She picked up the card. "You have to keep physical contact with this card in order to talk to him. Sorry, I must've forgotten to mention that…"

They stood at her in confusion, but decided to take up on her rule. They took the card, making sure that they kept physical contact with it, and saw Yugi on the ground next to Rune, rubbing the back of his head.

"_**Ow…man, I landed headfirst…"**_

"S-sorry 'bout that, Yug. We didn't know." Jonouchi laughed nervously.

"_**That's OK. Guess having me suddenly appear in front of you does that to guys."**_ He stood up.

"How the heck did Rune have a hold on you? Did you guys know each other beforehand?" Honda asked.

"_**No…I guess it was pure coincidence."**_ He answered. _**"Personally, I was looking for one of you two. She just found me first."**_

"Is she taking care of you?" Jonouchi asked.

"_**She's taking care of me with her life."**_ He answered as well. _**"She almost panicked back there."**_

"That's good to hear." Honda nodded. "I would have to raise hell if she wasn't."

Everyone in the room shivered when they heard that. Aira nodded in understanding, even though she didn't hear a word that Yugi said. Jonouchi returned the card to Rune, smiling in thanks, and then he and Honda walked out of the room.

"Where are you two going?" Sora asked. "Surely you guys aren't just going to abandon us?"

"We're not." Jonouchi growled. "We're going to find where this Ranile guy is and clobber him."

"That's too dangerous." Aira said.

"At least allow us to find him." Honda asked.

"…I'll allow that." Rune said. "But don't do anything rash."

They both nodded and left the room. When the three of them are alone, they looked at each other, but mostly the girls were looking at Sora. He looked startled, but did his best not to look it.

"Sora, I need to ask you something." Aira leaned forward. "That scene that Ranile was talking about…what was that?"

"So now you're curious." He sighed. "About…that."

"I-if you want to, we can wait." Rune panicked.

"No. We can't." Sora said. "We can't wait. Besides, it's…a little important."

"Uh…OK, go on." Rune blinked.

"…We were both seven." He started. "We were young…and naïve."

_**------**_

_**HITSUKARI STUDY 11:50 PM**_

"_Brother…why are we here? We're going to be in trouble!"_

"_Don't worry about that, Sora!" Ranile winked. "We won't get caught!"_

_Sora bit his lip, but he decided to go along with it. He watched as Ranile pushed open the door to the Hitsukari Study. It was filled with high bookshelves and strange artifacts that they couldn't identify, but it didn't bother him the least._

"_Hey, I want to show you something."_

_Sora slowly followed Ranile as he walked through the bookshelves and stood in front of a strange golden bowl holding a mysterious carving on an Egyptian eye. There was a strange dial in the middle of it, and it was filled with water._

"_What is this?" Sora asked._

"_It's a tracker, I've heard." Ranile grinned. "Notice how there's not a single smudge of dirt around here."_

"_Doesn't that mean that mom and dad just like cleaning this?" Sora asked._

"_No." Ranile grinned. "By the way, do you know what it's tracking?"_

"…_Something important?"_

"_You mean you've never…?" Ranile turned to him. "Haven't you ever heard of the Millennium Puzzle?"_

"_Millennium…who?"_

"_Millennium Puzzle. It's part of the ancient legend our parents are dedicated to fulfill." Ranile turned to the cup. "It's about the darkness in seven Egyptian Items called Millennium Items, sealed away by a nameless Pharaoh's magic. The legend states that he sealed them by sacrificing his soul and sealing it away. According to what dad said, this tracker was used by the priests after the Pharaoh died, signaling that when the Pharaoh comes back to save all of humanity, this tracker will find out where he is."_

"_Wow…that sounds cool."_

_Sora turned back toward the tracker, when it began to glow. The water began to shake rapidly, shining rapidly into their eyes. Sora felt a hand on his eyes, and realized that Ranile was holding his eyes shut. Before they knew it, the water threw them off their feet, and he blacked out._

**------**

**DOMINO HOSPITAL ROOM 309 6:13 PM**

"Wow…" Rune bit her lip. "I can't believe it…"

"Because of how close we were to the tracker, our parents thought we were dead." Sora closed her eyes. "What I can't understand is why…my parents would hate me so much after that day."

"Five bucks says that Ranile's the reason why they hate you." Aira lifted her hand.

"But-!" Sora darted his head to her.

"Think about it. Since Ranile is basically going crazy against Yugi here, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a hand in your hate fest." Aira lifted up a finger. "Think about it. Why'd you think that he brought you in the study in the first place?"

"Ranile…wouldn't do that…not that far ago…" Sora held his head.

"I see." Aira nodded. "Sorry I said anything. It just didn't make any sense…_**unless…**_"

"No! No unless!" Sora darted up to his feet. "I-I'm sorry…I just need some fresh air."

Sora quickly ran out of the room, much to Rune's shock. She quickly stood to go after him, but Sora was already gone by the time she was up. Shocked, she slowly turned to Aira, who was looking down to the ground in guilt.

"I was just wondering if Ranile had a grudge against his parents." She said. "If so, then this entire incident was a set-up from him in order to further his rage and give him a legitimate reason to do this. Man, I'm such an idiot."

"I…I don't think that's it." Rune stated. "I think…you're just too straightforward."

"Thanks for that, Rune." Aira sighed. "But I already know that I'm an idiot. And there's not much I can do about it."

Tsubasa suddenly groaned, causing the both of them to jump and turn to him. He moved for a few seconds before relaxing back into unconsciousness. Rune took a small breath before looking up to Aira, who was shocked up to her feet and was holding the side of the bed _**with both hands.**_

"Are you OK, Aira?" Rune asked.

"Huh?" She looked at her hands, and quickly unraveled them. "Oh yeah. I'm fine."

"You look…" She tilted her head. "Startled. I've never seen you like this before."

"What?" Aira looked confused. "You've never seen me startled before?"

"Yeah, but…" Rune straightened herself. "You're pale…"

"Huh?!" She felt her face, in the off chance that she would actually hide it. "N-no I'm not!"

"Are you…stuttering?"

"N-no I'm not!" Aira shook her head.

"Don't lie to me." Rune said with a straight face. "You were on edge ever since he got into the hospital. What's wrong?"

Aira blinked in shock for a few seconds before shaking her head. She was about to say something when the door behind her opened, revealing two figures. One was a man in a detective's coat and a rugged look, pushing a wheelchair holding a woman with long hair.

"Is this Tsubasa's room?" The man asked.

"Yes. Tsubasa Taijo, if that's what you mean." Rune stood.

"That's the one." The man answered. "We're his parents. We came on the first call."

The woman turned to see her son unconscious on the hospital bed. She reached out to him before collapsing into tears in her hands. Aira and Rune looked at each other for a few seconds before they quickly left the room, leaving a grieving mother and father to their woes.

**------**

**DOMINO WAITING ROOM 6:20 PM**

Rune looked at the magazines on the small table in front of her. They were all dated to just about a month ago. The oldest one had to be three months ago. Lifting up that magazine, she saw that the cover read **"****New Vocaloid Twins!****Introducing Rui and Rei Kagene!****Did the Kagamine Twins Meet Their Match?!****"** The image showed two small children clad in black, smiling nicely at the camera.

"_**The Vocaloid…hey, doesn't Aira listen to them?"**_

_She does, actually. In fact, she already told me this already._ Rune flipped to the page of their story. _These twins were created to be copies of the Kagamine twins, which are actually more successful._

"_**I think I've heard of them before…they sounded a little creepy."**_

_Well, she likes them._ She looked up to Aira, sitting across from her. "Hey, Aira. I found the story about the Kagene twins. You wanna read this?"

"Thanks…"

Rune watched as she slowly took the magazine from her and began to read the section. She was reading it slowly, something that intrigued her, since Aira was the fastest reader in her class. After a few long minutes, she put the magazine back on the table and continued to daydream, staring at the hospital room that Tsubasa's parents hadn't left from.

"You haven't relaxed ever since he was admitted into the hospital." Rune remarked, standing up. "You should calm down. Maybe a cup of coffee will cheer you up."

"…He wasn't himself back there."

Rune blinked and turned to Aira, who was still clinging to the edges of her skirt. She was shaking, a concept that she didn't know she could do, before she quickly relaxed. Aira took a deep breath and leaned back on her chair.

"W-what do you mean?" Rune asked.

"You know what I'm talking about." Aira stated. "I mean, c'mon, Tsubasa's the type of person who doesn't blow up into a ball of rage like that. He takes things calmly, thinks them through in the split seconds that he's provided. Plus, when he gets into one of his so-called 'enlightenment' periods, his eye color actually changes."

"They do?" Rune blinked. "I thought they just stay that odd shade of gold."

"Not if you take a closer look." Aira answered. "They actually turn a very dark hazel. I don't know why, though. Maybe it's because of the change of lighting on his pupils."

"Um…Aira? How do you know all this?" Rune tilted her head.

"C'mon, Rune! I'm giving it to you in a pretty basket with ribbons on top!" Aira laughed. "Figure it out yourself!"

"…" She gasped. "You're in love with him?!"

"Love is a really broad subject term to use." Aira corrected. "I much rather you use the term 'hormone imbalance' instead."

"…How long?" Rune asked.

"…Hold on…" Aira looked at her fingers. "We met him…back then…at school. If I cut out that year…and those three months back when that hot transfer student was there…and this month…wow. It's been six years."

"Six _**years?!"**_ Rune gasped.

"Two of those years are still in debate. Remember that." Aira stated.

"I know, but…wow. That long a time." Rune thought about it. "I never thought that you would like Tsubasa."

"I know. That's why I'm denying it." Aira corrected.

"Huh?" Rune looked confused. "Why are you denying it?"

"Hello?! We're friends, if not best friends." Aira sat up. "Isn't that awkward?"

"N-no." Rune said. "I think it's OK for best friends to be in love with each other."

From that remark, she felt Yugi shiver inside of her mind, and her heart began to rapidly pound. Rune began to wonder if the same concept applied to him as well. Concluding that it might be Anzu, she ignored it and returned her attention to Aira.

"Well…why do you think I became friends with him in the first place?"

"…" Rune gasped. "No way."

"He was cute and passed all the tests he took with flying colors. That's all I knew of him." Aira folded her arms. "Soon after that, my 'hormone imbalance' became so bad I couldn't even think straight, so I decided to try and befriend him, just to go and find one quality that would repulse me out of liking him."

"…" Rune could conclude what happened next.

"The only problem was that I _**didn't**_ find anything that I didn't like." Aira sighed. "He was the perfect image of what I imagined a boyfriend to be. It was impossible not to _**not**_ like him after all that I found out. One time, I thought of trying to make myself hate the serious types. It lasted for about a year…and then it got worse."

"…What if you just tell him that you like him?" Rune asked. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"I know his type, Rune. He won't accept it. And after that, he'll just end the friendship just like that." Aira leaned back on the chair. "I treasure the friendship more than anything. And I really don't want my 'hormone imbalance' to ruin everything. Besides, guys as serious as him never go after idiots like me."

Rune stared at a hurt Aira, wondering if she could do anything to help her cope with what she had. It was only then that she realized that she couldn't. She never fell in love before, and she never had her heart broken. There was nothing she could do.

**------**

**Yeah, if this entire chapter was sappy, I'm sorry. I'll re-add the action back in there, I swear! I was just working on other stuff, so pardon the slow updates.**


	13. The Plan

**Last time we checked in, Aira had poured out her deepest and darkest secret to her best friend Rune. Knowing that the feeling won't go both ways, what will Rune do to help her hurting friend? And will this affect what will happen in the future? Stay tuned!**

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!**

**------**

**DOMINO WAITING ROOM 6:29 PM**

"Whatever you do, _**do not tell Tsubasa about this.**_ And bury this as deep as your mind can allow." Aira stated. "The last thing that we need is him finding this out on his own."

"OK…"

They walked back into Tsubasa's hospital room, seeing his parents slowly consoling each other in the shadow of his hospital light. Aira slowly leaned in and watched him sleep, and Rune couldn't help but think over what she had told her earlier, back in the waiting room.

"_**She…isn't the only one, you know."**_

Rune looked up from the corner of her eyes and saw Yugi materialize next to her. She slowly stroked the card in her deck as she reverted her gaze to Tsubasa.

"_**I had a crush on a friend…just like her."**_

_You're talking about Anzu, aren't you?_ Rune couldn't help but turn to him.

"_**Yeah. But…she didn't like me back. She liked someone else."**_

_Really? Who?_

A low groan snapped Rune back into reality, and she quickly turned her head to see Tsubasa moving again. She thought that it would be the same as before, with him falling back unconscious, but it was lasting longer than usual, and she saw Aira's heart flutter as Tsubasa's eyes slowly opened. Aira quickly moved out of the way so that his parents could talk to their son. They couldn't hear them talk, but they didn't mind.

"_This is a happy ending, huh?"_ Aira smiled. _"With Tsubasa being OK and all…"_

"_I know…but we still have Ranile running around."_ Rune answered. _"He could do this again."_

Aira's smile slowly faded, but she nodded in understanding. Tsubasa sat up: a healthy sign, which made his mother smile all the more. He told them something, and they hesitantly moved out of the room. He took a glance at them, and they understood what that meant. They walked closer in case that he would whisper.

"_I didn't tell them about Uzuki or what happened."_ Tsubasa told them. _"I doubt that they'll believe me if I told them."_

"_They probably wouldn't."_ Aira said. _"But…you're OK, right?"_

"…" He looked up. _"At least I know where he is. All we have to do now is to save him."_

"_And beat Ranile."_ Rune agreed.

"_Wait. Speaking of crazy brother rivalarity, __**where the heck is Sora?"**_ Aira looked around. "He hasn't come back ever since he left."

"Well, he must still be in the hospital." Rune stood. "I'll go look for him."

**------**

**DOMINO HOSPITAL LOBBY 6:49 PM**

She found herself looking around and asking the nurses if they had an idea. Their directions lead her back into the front lobby, where, like they said, Sora was standing there, leaning on the desk. As Rune walked toward him, she saw a patient being wheeled in. Sora watched it with a small grin.

"The nurses here never catch a break, do they?" He laughed.

"…Sora?" Rune blinked.

"Sure took your time, Rune." He turned to her. "I've been doing some thinking on what Aira said…"

"I-if she offended you, I apologize." Rune lifted up her hands. "She told me that she didn't mean it, and that she was only saying what she thought."

"I won't blame her." He sighed. "And…she might be right."

"She…is?"

Sora got off the railing and stood there for a few seconds. Then, he turned to her with the weirdest face she ever saw him have: one with no expression. He slowly walked out of the building, forcing her to follow suit. He stopped just for her to catch up.

"I don't want any of them to hear this." He said.

"Who, the nurses?" Rune turned to them.

"What Aira said about him…this entire time, I've been trying to find out any form of evidence that could counter what she said. Anything that would show her that my parents had loved me and that Ranile had not planned this from the start." He looked up to the night sky. "But when I tried to remember…I couldn't."

"What…?"

"It's odd. I can't remember anything in my life before that moment." Sora held his head. "And it doesn't even feel like memory loss. It feels like…someone intentionally wiped it from my memory."

"Ranile…?"

"Possibly." He sighed. "Possibly not. But…it's the only explanation that I have."

"Next to why he would do something like that." Rune walked next to him. "It makes stopping him all the more important."

"And finding out why he wanted Yugi for." He quickly added. "Right?"

"Of course." Rune nodded and smiled. "We can't just let him run around and do what he wishes to, right?"

"…Right."

Sora smiled, and for a split second, Rune felt her cheeks warm. The door opened behind them, and they turned their heads to see Aira and Tsubasa walk out of the hospital, his worried parents rolling in behind them.

"_Rune…if you don't mind, I don't want any of them to learn about what we talked about, OK?"_

"_Uh…sure."_ Rune answered.

"Shouldn't you be in the hospital, Tsubasa?" Sora asked, a grin on his face.

"Yes, take the advice of your friend." His father suggested.

"I only passed out because of heat exhaustion, dad." He answered, fixing his collar. "I'll be fine."

"He is, of course, in the image of his father, right?" Aira added, grinning and tapping on his shoulder.

"Look, the both of us are in charge of his wellbeing, and I don't see how Tsubasa can make a recovery as fast as this." His father countered.

"I can walk on both feet without stumbling. And I'm pretty sure that the doctors thought I was fully recovered." Tsubasa added.

"…Are you sure?" His mother asked.

"I'm fine, mom." He said. "And I'll be careful out in the sun more often."

The mother looked at her son for a few seconds before settling back in acceptation. His father stared at her in confusion, and then they both exchanged a long, quiet glance, a glance that held all the conversation that they needed. He nodded toward Tsubasa, who understood what he was thinking. Suddenly, his right eye began to glow, a glow that seemed invisible to his parents. They turned and walked away, leaving the rest of them confused.

"Uh…" Sora blinked. "W-what just happened?"

"What?" Tsubasa turned to them. "I told them that I'll hang out with you guys and just walk home later. You guys didn't hear me?"

"Tsubasa…" Aira took a serious look at him. "You didn't say a word."

"No?" He looked surprised. "I'm pretty sure I said it."

"No, you didn't." Rune said truthfully. "Your Millennium Eye began to glow, and then your parents left."

"I…I didn't say a word?" Tsubasa actually looked surprised.

"Unless all of us were deaf." Aira joked.

Everyone stared at Tsubasa with confusion written all over their faces, wondering if he really was dense enough not to know that he didn't talk at all. Then, they wondered if he noticed the eye activate at all. Suddenly, Sora slapped his hands together.

"I got a hypothesis." He said. "It's possible for Tsubasa to read people's minds through the use of his Millennium Eye, right?"

"Uh…" Rune blinked. "Yeah, right?"

"I think I know where you're going with this." Tsubasa nodded. "You're saying that since I have the supernatural ability to enter the mindsets of individuals and learn the invalid truth about certain situations without any set of hesitation or disoriented truth. And thus, since I have this technique, you're suggesting that I also have the ability to imprint suggestions of my choosing in other people's minds at will through the same way I enter their minds, right?"

"Yeah, basically." Sora nodded.

"Kyaaaaaa…my brain hurts…" Aira held her head. "Would someone do me a favor and explain that to me in _**conversational**___English, please?"

"I think he means that he can give his own thoughts to other people." Rune titled her head.

"Oh…" She slapped her hands together. "Like Lelouch from **Code Geass**, right?!"

"First of all, _**no,**_ not like Lelouch. And second of all, keep your otaku references to yourself next time." Sora sighed. "Unlike…_**him,**_ Tsubasa can only put a suggestion to his targets, not actually force them to do something. It makes the action seem more natural when it's played out."

"Oh…" Aira blinked. "I…think."

"_Lost cause."_ He sighed.

"_Definitely a lost cause."_ Tsubasa agreed.

"HEY! _**WHO'S**__** A LOST CAUSE?!"**_

**------**

**KAIBACORP 6:34 PM**

"Well, that was a less than enthusiastic greeting." Ranile looked at Uzuki, who was walking next to him. "Don't you think?"

Uzuki continued to walk wordlessly next to him, his head still down and his breath steady and almost following to a beat. Ranile just shook his head and laughed quietly to himself, his arms raised in the air.

"Oh, right. You don't have your own opinion." He sighed. "I'm sorry; I guess I forgot that little tidbit."

"Excuse me. Are you Ranile?"

The both of them looked down to see a young boy standing to their left, his hair long and black and a pile of papers in his hands. Innocent purple eyes looked up to them, and yet they were filled with seriousness, like he was older than he looked.

"Only if you're Mokuba Kaiba." Ranile smiled. "Is there something you need me with?"

"I have a message from my older brother." Mokuba answered. "He wanted to know if you're free all of next week, and that if you are going to be, you'll have to meet up with him later. The corporations are going to meet up for contract agreements and they need you to sponsor on your behalf."

"Oh…well, that sounds interesting." He folded his arms. "Well then, tell him that I'll meet up with him in…about two hours in his office."

"All right." Mokuba nodded.

"Now then…if you'll excuse me."

Ranile walked past Mokuba and continued down the dark hallway, lit only by the moonlight. Mokuba was about to leave them and return back to his room when he saw Ranile's companion staring back at him. He was a young man with a strange collar around his neck, and yet it wasn't attached to anything.

"Uh…do you need something with me?"

The truth was, he sorta wished that he would grow up to look like him.

He saw the young man stare at him in the eyes, never blinking. Mokuba silently hoped that he would just walk away when his curiosity is done. Instead, he leaned so that he was level with him, scaring him a little. He watched the strange man make a circle around his lips and then tap his forehead. Almost instantly, he heard a strange _ping_, which caused him to blink in confusion.

"Uzuki." Ranile called. "Leave the boy alone. He probably has something important to do. We don't want him to delay it further."

Mokuba kept the name to heart. He watched as the boy named Uzuki stood and then followed Ranile without hesitation. He watched as the two boys walked farther away until they disappear into the darkness.

_What…just happened with him just now?_

**------**

**?????? 6:40 PM**

The room that they both entered in was enormous, yet oddly dark. The windows were wide open, shining a brilliant moonlight into the open room. There was a strange plaque on the other side of the room, and in the middle of the room sat a figure, looking down. Ranile ran into his room like a young child.

"It's almost here, Uzuki! I just know it!" He squealed. "The power of the Millennium Puzzle is near my grasp…I just know it."

He looked at Uzuki with an enlightened look on his face, similar to a little kid. And, like he was forced to be, Uzuki stood quietly and watched his master roll around in his little world of bliss. Or maybe there was something in that water they drank earlier. He ran to the plaque on the wall, and saw that it was a strange rock with hieroglyphics on them.

"You see this, Uzuki? It's the Eye of W'djat. It's the door in the Pharaoh's tomb, and the connection to the afterlife." Ranile explained. "It was destroyed when the Millennium Items were sealed away, but I was _**finally **_able to recreate it. Once I have the Millennium Puzzle, I can use it in conjunction with your Millennium Rod in order to reactivate this door, and then…finally…I can have revenge on all who have wronged me…_**finally…**_

"BUT!" He quickly turned to him. "In order for it to work, I needed a vessel. I thought it I could just use me, but it turned out that it needed a soulless body, a body it can use without hesitation. But a dead body would do it no good…so then I thought…why not…_**him?"**_

He made a gesture to the body sitting in the middle of the room, seemingly ordering Uzuki to do the same. He turned to the body in the room and as the light illuminated it…

It revealed Yugi Motou.

**------**


	14. The Plot Twist

**The last time we left off, our heroes have discovered yet another secret of the Millennium Item's true powers, and we learned just a little bit of what Ranile is planning. But what is this evil that he is going to summon? How does this pertain to Sora? What did Uzuki do to Mokuba? Well, we won't solve this in a single chapter, so…keep reading!**

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! And yes, I'm repeating myself over and over again.**

**------**

**KAIBA'S OFFICE 7:10 PM**

Kaiba stood quietly in front of the window, viewing the city that he ruled in his feet. There was a knock on the door, but the door opened before he knew who it was. He turned, a small chill going down his spine, only to see the figure of his new business partner standing there.

"It took you long enough." He said, hiding back the small bit of fear. "I've been waiting for you for about twenty minutes!"

"Sorry. I've been…busy." Ranile closed the door behind him. "My servant was…uncooperative."

"Uncooperative?" Kaiba blinked in confusion. "How so? He hasn't said a word since you brought him in."

"Is that so? He's unbelievably chatty around me." He lied. "Guess he's just shy around other people."

_Liar._ Kaiba furrowed his brow. _He looked like an undead this entire time. Odd…it reminds me of-_

"You wanted to know my schedule, am I correct?"

"Huh?" Kaiba blinked. "Yes, of course. We're wishing that you can join our next meeting, and the corporate members are wondering when you are going to be free."

"Yes…I'm guessing Hotaru is having a problem with his marketing business, am I correct?"

"Not bad." Kaiba nodded. "I guess you know your way around the business world."

"Of course. You have to predict the world a few hundred steps ahead in order to save your company and get a few extra bucks. Unfortunately, I don't have any free time next week." Ranile smiled, the air starting to tighten in the room. "And neither do you."

"What are you-?"

Ranile's eyes began to glow a bright light, and Kaiba saw the screech of a bird before something hit his mind. He collapsed onto the ground before he knew what was going on, Ranile smiling back at the suffering like he was watching a good movie. He turned around and motioned Uzuki into the room.

"I think we should move into the plan." He smiled. "He's going to be a nuisance if I let him run around."

With a nod, Uzuki walked toward Kaiba's body. He knelt down to him and watched him slowly breathe in and out, a nice sign that he's alive. He drew a circle around his lips and pressed it onto Kaiba's forehead. An eye appeared on his forehead and then seeped into his body. Uzuki stood up and looked to his master, who finally began to laugh like the maniac that he is.

**------**

**RUNE'S BEDROOM 10:09 PM**

Rune held the Dark Magician card in her hand as she lied down on her bed. Below her, she could hear the TV being turned on, and some drama music began to play. She felt the card throb in her hand, and considered that it was his heartbeat.

"Thank goodness Tsubasa's OK…" She sighed. "What would've happened if he stayed in his coma…?"

"_**You don't want to know."**_

She looked up from her card and saw the figure of Yugi Motou sitting in her computer chair. His outfit was different from the last time they talked. Now he was wearing the school uniform. He actually looked pretty good in it.

_Sooner or later, I'll find out. You might as well tell me._

"…"

…_Does…it have to do with what you told me the first time we met? About the Shadow Realm?_

"…_**!"**_

_I remember that word, Yugi. I'm not an idiot. You can tell me what it is._

"…_**it's pure darkness. I don't know really what it is. I've only dueled there a couple times, but I don't think I actually stayed in there. But from what I heard, the beings that stay there are sent to eternal torture, without rest."**_

_So…it's like hell._

"_**Only without the hellfire, and that it affects memories as well."**_

_Memories…_ Rune shivered.

"_**The truth is, I sealed the Shadow Realm already. When the Millennium Items were sealed away, it should've made that place inaccessible."**_

_I guess…when the Millennium Items took a spiritual form, the Shadow Realm reopened._

"_**It's a possibility."**_

_I…don't want to go there…_

"_**No one does…and yet, all the duels that we've been doing this entire time…were all Shadow Duels."**_

Rune gasped, holding her mouth like it was about to drop out of her face. She sagged on the bed, the startling reality that her friends were all sending their opponents to such a hellish place. Yugi read the shock in her face, since he suddenly smiled.

"_**Don't worry. When we get the third piece of the Millennium Puzzle, we should be able to save them."**_

_We can…really do that?_

"_**Of course we can."**_

…_That's…good to hear._

"_**You should get some sleep, Rune. Tomorrow's school."**_

_Oh, right. That's going to be a nice change of pace for me. Goodnight, Yugi._

She nodded, curled up in her blanket, and closed her eyes. Despite anything that she could think, she couldn't get herself to sleep. Every time she was close to sleeping, she had the image of running away from shadows, even though they were around her. She wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

**------**

**?????? 12:08 AM**

There's something wrong with him.

Sora was lying down in his bed, and yet he couldn't sleep. The temperature inside of the room was shooting up, even though it was in the middle of the autumn season. He was going through too much pain. And his mind was racing to reach something that wasn't there.

_**------**_

_**?????? 3:40 PM**_

"_Mom, check this out!"_

_It was his home. He was ten years old. Across from him, he saw his family watching his older brother create a unique sculpture of a tablet. It was after a closer glance that he realized that it was the Eye of W'djat._

"_That's beautiful, Ranile!" His mom smiled. "And the detail…it's beautiful!"_

"_You've obviously been doing your homework." His father smiled._

"_Thank you, mother! Father!"_

_Sora looked at the Eye of W'djat and saw that it indeed had beautiful detail. Looking down at his sculpture, he noticed that, on his own unconsciousness, he made a copy of the Millennium Puzzle, down to the grooves of the pieces stuck together. If he allowed it to dry, he could easily make a replica without missing a beat. And yet his parents haven't even looked up. _

"_Wow, Sora! Is that the Millennium Puzzle?!" _

"_H-huh?" He was startled. _

"_That looks awesome!" It was his brother._

"_Th-thanks…" He blushed._

"_Don't you think so too, mom?" Ranile looked around. "Dad?"_

_But they were too embraced in the Eye of W'djat. They didn't even bother to look up to see his piece of art. Sora stared at the Millennium Puzzle in his hands and wondered what he had done wrong._

_**------**_

"_What have I done wrong…?"_ Sora muttered, his mind slipping. _"What have…I done?"_

He felt his mind go black, and then, finally, he was able to achieve the deepest of sleep. The sleep that holds no dreams, good or bad.

**------**

**?????? 1:29 AM**

"Grg…!"

Uzuki looked up from where he stood to see Ranile holding his left arm and chest in pain. He was about to grab a phone when he saw his hand lifted up. Uzuki stopped and backed up, and he saw Ranile smile, sweat dripping from his face.

"I'm OK…" He said. "It seems that…we don't have any more time left. We have to go on with the plan."

Uzuki looked at him in confusion before nodding in acceptance.

_Soon…I'll have my revenge…_

**------**

**DOMINO HIGH SCHOOL 8:09 AM**

Rune held the deck close in her bag as she wandered the hallways. Her friends weren't around, so she could get some alone time. For some reason, she felt that dwelling in her mind room wasn't going to get that type of alone that she needed. Sitting down in her chair, she sulked.

_Where is Ranile?_ She thought. _He knew that Tsubasa is Uzuki's older brother, which means that he has access to a database or at least someone who knows him._

"_Perhaps he's working with his father?"_

She looked up to see the Magician's Valkyria levitating next to her. It had been a while since they actually talked to each other. It was actually, above all else, a very much welcome relief. She smiled.

_That would make sense._ Rune nodded. _He is a police officer, right?_

"_That would mean that he has access to secret files. Hence, he would have access to his father's profile, right?"_

_Yes. That is how they hire police officers, right?_

"_Of course. Maybe we have to check on Tsubasa later."_

_Not yet. I think he's still recovering._

Looking up, she saw Aira walk into the room with her usual grin on her face. Turning around, Rune saw Tsubasa follow her with his usual pace. She smiled, knowing that he had indeed made a full recovery. Three guys started talking to him, leaving Aira to join her best friend.

"Rumors go around quickly, huh?" She sighed.

"What?" Rune blinked.

"Oh yeah, you didn't hear." Aira smiled. "Everyone already knows about Tsubasa's hospital incident."

"Is that it?" Rune asked.

"Yeah, but with a small detail changed." Aira winked. "So if anyone asks, it's because of heatstroke."

"Oh. Okay." Rune nodded.

It hadn't been for a few minutes when the door suddenly swung open, revealing a very tired Sora Hitsukari. He stumbled a little bit before being finally able to walk down the classroom and sitting peacefully in his seat. Everyone looked at each other as the trio walked to him.

"Geez, Sora. I had the hospital stay, but it looked like you were the one who got heatstroke." Tsubasa sighed. "What happened to you?"

"I'm…not quite sure." Sora rubbed the back of his head. "I think I passed out…"

"You…think?" Aira blinked. "OK, do you remember feeling dizzy or you were stumbling over your own feet?"

"No…I think I was in bed that time." Sora said.

"_That's what she said…_oh wait, sorry." Aira shook her head. "So…you passed out while you were sleeping?"

"Are you sure you didn't just fall really deep into sleeping?" Rune asked.

"I'm pretty sure." Sora answered. "Cause I woke up aching all over and feeling like I just got run over."

"Are you sure you're not just hung over?" Aira asked.

"First of all, I don't drink." Sora looked at her. "And second of all, I can hear you quite nicely without a pounding headache."

"So…if that's true…they why did you pass out?" Tsubasa asked.

"I…don't know." Sora rubbed his head.

"_Hey, did you hear? There's something going on with KaibaCorp."_

Rune felt her ears perk, and found herself tuned into the conversation. Tsubasa looked at her and then tuned into the conversation. It was between a small group of girls and guys, most of them were in the local computer club.

"_KaibaCorp? What'd you mean?"_

"_I heard that Kaiba has a new partner in his business."_

"_Partner? Kaiba does stuff like that? I always thought he was a loner."_

They both looked at each other, and then back at Aira and Sora, who were listening in to the conversation as well. Nodding, they know that what they're going to do later.

**------**

**KAIBACORP 4:59 PM**

The plan was going well.

Using Uzuki, Kaiba dismissed everyone from the building, and now everything was going as planned. Ranile looked up from where he stood, seeing his subordinates ready to defend their master. Nodding, he beckoned Uzuki and Kaiba to follow.

Unbeknownst to him, Mokuba was watching this from afar. He was about to run when he saw Uzuki stare at him. Before he knew it, a strange ping echoed in his head, and he was under. Turning around, he quickly turned and ran out of the building.

**------**

**DOMINO MAIN SQUARE 5:09 PM**

They were supposed to meet here before they go in.

Rune looked down where she was sitting down and eyed the cards in her hand. She knew that she was going to do this again, and the fact that, if they were going to find Ranile, that they were going to confront him so quickly. Was she even ready?

"You'll be fine."

Looking up, she saw the figure of a man that she doesn't remember meeting. He had spiky hair and a red jacket, and the strangest green eyes that she had ever seen. And were those die dangling from his ears?

"You must be Rune. I'm Ryuji Ojima." He lifted his hands. "I'm a friend of Yugi's."

"Oh." She shook his hand.

"_**He doesn't lie. I know him."**_

_Good._ "Who told you about me?"

"Jonouchi, out of all people." He sat next to her. "He called me out of the blue and said that we're going to infiltrate KaibaCorp, so naturally I jumped into the bargain."

"Is that it…?" She blinked in confusion.

"Are you hitting on her, Ryuji?"

Looking up, she saw Honda and Tsubasa standing over them. And for some odd reason, they looked very mad. Or were they just jealous? For some reason, Rune couldn't tell the difference.

"I'm not." He stood. "I'm just doing introductions. And that has to be…Sora, right?"

"Wrong." Tsubasa folded his arms. "It's Tsubasa."

"Oh. The Eye dude." He nodded. "You have some potential to be on my level."

"And…pray tell, what level is that?" He asked.

"DO NOT QUESTION!" Aira suddenly screamed.

Looking from their group, they saw Aira leading the rest of the massive force. Sora was being dragged along by Jonouchi, but all in all, they all looked hyped enough to be able to hijack a gigantic corporation.

"So, is that everyone?" Aira looked around. "Sweet! We're gonna hijack a corporation!"

"Oh yeah, before I go anywhere, I need someone to explain this whole 'Soul Card' thing to me." Ryuji looked at everyone.

"We'll explain on the go." Sora said. "For now, we have to get in."

"You won't get in. Not in the way that you are now."

Looking up, they saw the figure of Mokuba standing back at them. His eyes were dead, staring back at them. Aira walked up to him in confusion, waving her hands in front of him. Suddenly, she fell over.

"OW!" She sat up before she understood what was going on. She slid away. "WHOA! You're Uzuki's work!"

"I'm not a slave." He looked to Tsubasa. "I'm a messenger."

"…Brother?"

**------**

**In a twist of events, Uzuki is able to make contact with his brother and his friends through the body of Mokuba Kaiba. Will they be able to stop Ranile's plan? Let's hope so.**


	15. Uzuki Taijo

**WOW, what a late update! Are people still reading this? I hope so. Sorry, I got caught up in all of my Vocaloid fanfictions. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS TOO. And my Tales of fanfic too, if someone was curious on that.**

**Oh yeah, the intro…**

**Last time we left off, Mokuba Kaiba had met up with all of the people ready to hijack the KaibaCorp foundation. But it's actually Uzuki, Tsubasa's brother, who's taking over his body to get a message across. What would he want to say?**

**------**

**DOMINO MAIN SQUARE 5:12 PM**

"Brother…?" Tsubasa gawked.

"Wait…that's Uzuki?!" Jonouchi looked at him. "I thought he was Mokuba!"

"I'm talking through Mokuba, Jonouchi." Uzuki/Mokuba explained. "I thought you'd be smarter."

"He isn't." Aira laughed.

"HEY! Watch it…"

"So…Uzuki." Sora walked up to him. "Is Mokuba going to be alright?"

"He's fully aware of the situation. I explained it to him on the way here." Uzuki/Mokuba looked at him. "Personally, I don't think it's fair if I put him in a situation that he's not fully aware of."

"Great. A bad guy with manners." Honda shrugged.

"Actually, he's a double-crosser." Aira lifted up her finger.

"That's not important right now." Rune turned to Uzuki/Mokuba. "There was something that you wanted to tell us, right?"

"Yes, actually." He turned to the group. "If all of you are here, that means that you have an idea of where Ranile might be."

"He's in KaibaCorp, manipulating him like the generic bad guy that he is!" Aira stated.

"Aira, I said this once, and I'm going to say it again: _**keep your otaku references to yourself!"**_ Sora growled.

"Yes, your assumptions are correct." Uzuki/Mokuba looked at Aira like she didn't make a random remark. "He is indeed in KaibaCorp as Kaiba's second-in-command. And now, he's using my powers to take over Kaiba's mind the same way he took mine."

Everyone looked at each other, surprised that their recent assumptions were even close to being right.

"What's he even planning?" Sora asked.

"He never went into detail." Uzuki/Mokuba said. "All he would say is something about extracting revenge."

Almost instantly, Rune found herself turning to Sora, who looked more confused than ever. She quickly turned away, making sure that no one would see him. Sora, on the other hand, was completely confused on what was happening.

"_I know everything about you…they thought it was your fault."_

_What did he even mean by "I know everything about you"? I never wanted revenge on my parents…_

"So when are we heading in?" Ryuji grinned.

"Soon." Uzuki/Mokuba turned to the building. "I'm worried about how the security is inside."

"Leave that to me." Tsubasa looked at everyone. "I'll find out the state."

"Uh…how?" Anzu asked.

"By being all…awesome and all." Aira shrugged. "I dunno. How will you find out?"

"Just meet up with me in front of KaibaCorp." Tsubasa grinned. "I'll be there."

Everyone watched and stared as Tsubasa quickly dashed away from them like the ninja that he is. Rune shivered at the thought of what he could do to get in. Quite frankly, Aira was actually somewhat curious.

**------**

**KAIBACORP FRONT 5:40 PM**

They were still there. And Tsubasa wasn't anywhere in sight.

The whole building was dark. There was no light whatsoever, even from the huge KC logo that was on the building. It looked as if it was suffering from a blackout. Rune looked around to her friends, who were slowly losing patience.

"Where could Tsubasa be?" Anzu shivered.

"It's only been half an hour, and I don't hear any commotions. He should be OK." Sora assured.

"Let's hope that Ranile bastard didn't get him." Jonouchi bit his lip. "He might end up doing to him what he did to Yugi."

"Don't say that!" Aira jumped. "Tsubasa may be an idiot for doing this, but he knows how to do things without going insane or getting caught!"

"Yeah." Rune nodded. "Just have faith in him."

"I do." Jonouchi assured. "But still…if he is as crazy and ingenious as he sounds, even someone as smart as him could get caught."

"I'm very happy to hear that you had so much confidence in me."

Everyone looked up to see a figure of a humanoid dragon floating down upon them. They were about to jump away screaming when they saw him twirl in the air and land perfectly on his feet, his odd armor gone, only revealing Tsubasa straightening himself with a smile.

"That's my older brother." Uzuki/Mokuba smiled.

"**DAMMIT, TSUBASA!"** Aira whined. "Stop being so awesome! We didn't even get into climactic fighting yet…"

"Sorry about that. It's just that the security is oddly tight." Tsubasa tapped his right eye. "I knew entering through the front door was going to be a bad idea, so I used my Millennium Eye to help me get around the area."

"By…flying?" Ryuji blinked.

"It's the Chaos Emperor Dragon. You didn't notice it?" Tsubasa asked.

"No…no, not really." Rune blinked. "So…how's the inside?"

"No one's inside." Tsubasa informed. "But as for the state of the security…let's just say that we're gonna need a good counter spell in order to get inside."

"I can handle that." Uzuki/Mokuba stepped forward.

"You sure?" Anzu asked.

"I'm sure." He answered. "Not because I'm Mokuba, but because I'm now, as he would put it, a 'pawn' of his. Now be quiet and follow me."

Rune and the others nodded as they slowly walked toward the front door. From the back of her mind, she could feel Yugi slip deep into her subconciousness, and she made no move to question it. Knowing Ranile as well as she did, this was the best that he could do. Uzuki/Mokuba stopped in front of the door and placed his hand on it, seeing it open just like that.

"Guess awesomeness runs in the family." Aira blinked.

"Maybe." Uzuki/Mokuba walked inside. "C'mon. We have to get to Ranile's room."

"Right." Rune nodded.

**------**

**KAIBACORP 6:01 PM**

Rune really needed to find out how to get into running classes. She found herself lagging behind, seeing the others dash in front of her. Uzuki/Mokuba was dashing through like an ordinary kid on sugar. But everyone was right in front of her. She'll lose them if she didn't hurry.

"_**Are you OK, Rune?"**_

_Yugi…yeah, I'm fine. It's you I'm going to be worried about. Won't Ranile notice you?_

"_**Knowing how thick this could be, he already knows we're here. We have to be ready."**_

_What could possibly happen now?_

It was then that everyone suddenly froze. Standing in front of them, and this was no joke, was Uzuki himself, staring back at his other half and his brother. Aira almost screamed, until Honda was quick to cover her mouth.

"So much for going quietly." Sora growled. "Ranile knows we're here."

"So what?" Tsubasa looked panicked. "We have to fight him?!"

"I'll fight him." Uzuki/Mokuba stepped forward. "Though…I'm limited to what Mokuba has."

"Then we can go five-on-one!" Jonouchi jumped in. "Five newcomers against a pro! It's only fair!"

"Define who the newcomers will be!" Aira yelled. "Most of us barely fought one battle!"

"I'll be glad to join you." Rune stepped in.

"No way!" Jonouchi jumped in. "I'm in it! You need all that pep for your big fight later!"

"This is finally a way to pay back for all those times that Yugi saved us!" Anzu stepped forward. "I'm in too!"

"Count me in, then!" Honda cracked his knuckles.

"Then I'm in it too!" Ryuji jumped in front of him. "No need to be left behind!"

"Let's just hope you guys know what you're doing…" Aira bit her lip.

"Five against one." Uzuki/Mokuba nodded. "We all share the same LP limit of 10000. All we can control are our Soul Cards."

"It makes strategies even harder to make." Ryuji concluded.

"We'll just go all out!" Jonouchi cried. "Let's go!"

**Mokuba's Soul Card****- Shield Warrior**

**Jonouchi's Soul Card****- Red Eyes Black Dragon**

**Anzu's Soul Card****- Dark Magician Girl**

**Honda's Soul Card****- Command Warrior**

**Ryuji's Soul Card****- Exarion Universe**

**Uzuki's Soul Card****- **Mutant Mindmaster

**Court****-** Emes the Infinity

Vampire Lady

Rapid-Fire Magician

Necro Gardna

"So…that's who we're dealing with?" Honda grinned.

"Wait…" Anzu panicked. "If we lose here, all of us go to the Shadow Realm, right?"

"Oh, crap…" Jonouchi panicked. "Didn't think of that."

"That's OK." Uzuki/Mokuba answered. "Just give me an opening."

"Uh…" Aira blinked. "Game start, I guess."

The monsters charged as they started to slam onto each other. They started to tackle each other, no magic or traps used, and the others couldn't even tell who was losing MP or not. The battle was just that hectic.

"OK, who's winning?!" Rune panicked.

"I'm not sure." Sora started to move his head. "I don't know what's going on. What the heck are they planning?!"

"Um…I don't think they're planning anything." Aira moved her head too. "Looks like a hack-and-slash to me."

Meanwhile, during the battle, everyone was just doing their best to stay alive. Dodging and throwing as many punches as they could, Honda screamed in pain as Emes the Infinity attacked his Command Knight.

"Honda!" Anzu jumped to his aid.

"We really need to end this!" Jonouchi turned to Uzuki/Mokuba. "Who the heck's winning?!"

"Heh…"

"?! Dude?"

He watched as Uzuki/Mokuba summoned a Legendary Sword to his hand, charging right through the battlefield. But before anyone could scream on how big of a bad idea this was, he lunged into the air and directly attacked his body. Just like that, the monsters vanished, and Uzuki _(both body and soul)_ crashed to the ground.

"Mokuba!" Rune gasped.

"Uzuki!"

Rune felt herself be pushed away as Tsubasa dashed to Uzuki/Mokuba's aid. He shook him until he woke up and turned to him. It was then that she heard a gasp echo off of his lips. He stood up.

"Where's Uzuki?" He asked. "Where the hell is my brother?!"

"I…I don't know…" Mokuba held his head. "He was just in here a minute ago…"

"So he wasn't lying about telling him everything." Ryuji folded his arms. "That's good to hear."

"_Right…would I lie about something as important as this?"_

Everyone literally had lumps in their throats as they saw Uzuki's eyes slowly open. He turned to his older brother, who was still somewhat in shock at the rapid turn of events that was going on.

"Uzuki?" He gasped out.

"_Hey, nii-san."_ He sat up. _"See? I had a plan."_

"Was not monitoring the battle at all part of it?" Aira blurted. "Cause if it was, it was a really good plan."

"Yeah, actually." He straightened his glasses. "Knowing how I think, I usually plan the battle ahead when there's a gap in the fighting. Therefore, by removing that gap, I made my other half unable to preplan."

"Ow, my head." Sora rubbed the side. "I actually tried to think all of that out."

"Yeah, we all make that same mistake somewhere in our lives." Aira sighed.

"So…what actually happened?" Rune asked.

"The truth?" Uzuki laughed. "No one lost a single MP. We were too busy dodging attacks to throw our own. Unless you include the Legendary Sword that I summoned."

"Still thinking?" Aira turned to Sora.

"Yep."

"Are you going to be OK, first of all?" Ryuji asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't do too much damage." Uzuki stood up. "I should be able to prove myself worthy in battle."

"That's good to hear." Tsubasa grinned. "Just don't push yourself."

"I won't." He smiled. "We better hurry now. Ranile knows you're here, and he's moving ahead with his plan."

Rune nodded at the happy reunion, and then nodded toward Yugi, who floated nearby. From the corner of her eye, she saw Anzu hold Mokuba's hand as they ran further down the hallway, ready for what's next.

**------**

**Again, sorry for the late update! I might be updating even slower now that I have Vocaloid fanfiction to work on, but expect updates soon! Please be VERY patient.**


	16. The Depths of Blood Siblings

**With Uzuki on their side of the field, Rune knows that she has the advantage of a bigger group when it comes to the final battle. But what would that mean when it comes to Ranile? Will a big group even work?**

**------**

**KAIBACORP 6:24 PM**

She was so happy that there were more people with her. The truth was, in the end, she alone had to save Yugi's life and Ranile's plan, since she was the one with the Millennium Puzzle, but she knew that there was not much she could do with such limited knowledge on how the Puzzle actually worked.

_What could I possibly do with this?_ She asked herself. _What powers does this even have, anyway?_

"_**It goes on unity, Rune."**_

She almost screamed, but turned her head slowly to see Yugi running right next to her, almost blocking her view of Sora, who looked the most determined to get to the bottom of what was going to happen.

_Unity?_ She blinked. _What do you mean, unity?_

"_**The Millennium Puzzle is connected, right? And as each piece is needed to make a whole, everyone here is a part of your power. The more of them you have, the stronger the Puzzle becomes."**_

_I guess it worked out that way for you, huh?_

"_**Then again, it was a solid gold form when I used it."**_

Rune nodded, knowing what he meant by that. They turned so many corners and climbed thousands of stairs _("Cause God forbid", Aira stated, "That he would allow the elevators to work when he knows that someone's here!")_ in order to follow Uzuki's road. Suddenly, before they turned a corner, a scream echoed through the hallway, causing Aira to scream in response. They turned toward Sora, who had just collapsed onto the ground. Everyone ran toward him as he began to sweat uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with him?!" Honda darted his head around.

"Sora? Sora, speak to me!" Anzu panicked. "Can you breathe?"

"Holy crap, he's sparking a fever!" Aira jumped up. "What bad timing!"

"Is he going to be alright?!" Jonouchi asked.

"Man, I wonder if Ranile's laughing at us right now." Mokuba looked around at the cameras.

Uzuki only prepped his glasses and checked his watch as Sora continued to suffer from the unknown illness. Suddenly, just as it came, it left. He found himself on the ground with confusion all over his face. Sitting up, he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"What the heck…?" He blinked.

"Fever's breaking." Ryuji lowered his hand. "What was that just now?"

"I'm not sure…" Sora stood up. "It's been happening for a while…but nothing this severe."

"That's weird." Uzuki lowered his arm. "Ranile's suffering from the same thing. Sudden loss of consciousness, high fever, unable to think properly…during his latest attack, he said something about moving forward with the plan sooner than expected."

"So…what? He's planning to cure himself of whatever the heck this is?" Sora shook off some dirt.

"He mentioned curing you as well." Uzuki turned to him. "Though, that part is sort of vague."

Sora stared at him, confusion on his face, but not as confused as the others, who were trying to sort out if it was even a disease. Uzuki straightened out his jacket and turned to the hallway, causing everyone else to dash after him. While they were running, Rune turned to Mokuba, who still had a worried look on his face.

"You're worried about your brother, aren't you?"

"Yeah…" He bit his lip. "I know that nii-san can take care of himself, but…I don't know. Even he fell under the influence of magic before…"

"But he didn't have us." Rune grinned. "He had Yugi, and I'm sure that he wanted to protect your older brother, since he had the power to do so."

"But…nii-san hurt Yugi's grandfather once…as an act of selfishness…just to get a rare card." Mokuba looked up. "I'm sure Yugi still hasn't forgotten it…so why?"

"_**Tell him…"**_ She heard Yugi say from the back of her mind. _**"I still protected him because I know the truth."**_

"Yugi says that…" Rune blinked. "He did it because he knows the truth."

"Truth?" Mokuba blinked. "What truth?"

"_**You should know this Rune, even though you don't have siblings."**_ Yugi said. _**"The same concepts apply to Tsubasa and Uzuki."**_

_Those two?_ Rune blinked. _How?_

"_**You see Mokuba, the reason why he acts like that…is because he wants a better life for you."**_ Yugi concluded. _**"That he wanted to make sure that his little brother doesn't suffer in pain, and that he did it for the sake of knowing that you'd be safe. He wanted you to grow up into a man that can be responsible and mature enough to walk in his shoes and perhaps run KaibaCorp alongside him, maybe even take his place. But the main reason was…he wished to keep what was left of his family."**_

Rune didn't notice it, but she had said it as he was talking. The only reason why she knew she said it aloud was that when she turned to tell him, Mokuba was already near tears, and most of the guys were staring at her like she said something evil.

"I-Is that why…?"

"Of course." Rune smiled. "He meant every word."

"Are we talking about Kaiba bein' dead?" Aira blurted.

"_**AIRA!"**_

"What?! We're not?!" She looked shocked. "I'm sorry. I mean, she's saying some really long monologue-like thing, the kid's crying, it was the only conclusion that I could reach that didn't include anything illegal."

"Ille-" Tsubasa blinked. "**AIRA!**"

"Oh hush!" She growled. "I was confused, that's all."

As everyone tried their best to push all of that from the back of their heads, they quickly ran like the wind toward the final set of stairs. Creepy as it was, the floor where Uzuki stopped was lined on one side by windows, reflecting in bright moonlight, and on the other side of the freakishly long-looking hallway was a door.

"_So…you all finally made it."_

"_**Ranile…"**_ Tsubasa growled under his breath.

"_I see that your brother is with you now."_ The voice continued. _"Guess that means that you learned how to reroute the Rod's system."_

"Where's my brother?!" Mokuba yelled.

"_Oh…is that Kaiba's brother? That might be how you saved yourself."_ There was a strange silence. _"Well, if you want all the answers to your questions, you better get to the end of the hallway. I can't just tell you while you're waiting in the hallway like that."_

"This better not be a trap." Ryuji grumbled.

"No way. This hallway is trap-free." Aira grinned, her finger in the air as if she realized something.

"Why do you say that?" Jonouchi blinked.

"If I have some indication on what sort of plan that he's leaning toward…" Aira pointed to the door. "Then he _**wants**_ us to get to the end of the hallway and confront him, 'cause he either wants to get rid of us first or we have something that he needs!"

"_Smart girl. I see that someone was paying attention in class."_ Ranile laughed. _"That's right. I need you to confront me. Wouldn't it be more fun if we fought before the plan completed itself?"_

"All right then." Jonouchi rolled up his sleeves. "If it's a confrontation that he wants, then it's a confrontation! _**CHARGE!"**_

"**Right behind you!"**

Jonouchi and Aira quickly charged to the end of the hallway, with the others quickly following suit. Once they got to the door, they turned and nodded at each other, and then turned back and high-kicked the door.

**------**

**RANILE'S QUARTERS 9:50 PM**

"Took you long enough. Was the building really that tall?"

Everyone stared at him, who was standing in front of a strange tablet hanging on a red wall hidden in the shadows. From the corner of the room, they saw a body laying on the window, the moonlight illuminating the face and clearly marking it to be Kaiba. And strapped to a chair next to Ranile was…

"Big brother!" Mokuba ran to his brother.

"Holy crack!" Aira jumped. "Is that Yugi tied to that chair?!"

"That's Yug all right…" Jonouchi growled. "What the hell do you want with him?!"

"It's simple, really." Ranile sighed. "I'm gonna use Yugi's body as a vessel for my revenge. Simple, really."

"God, you're crazy. I'm never gonna forgive you for what you did to my brother!" Tsubasa cracked his knuckles. _**"Summon!"**_

Everyone watched as Tsubasa's body began to glow, and then the Silent Swordsman LV 5 erupted from it, his sword glowing a deep, blood red. He charged toward Ranile, who grinned and summoned a Phoenix, who knocked the attack away.

"That's the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys…" Uzuki blinked. "Ranile's Soul Card."

"So that's your Soul Card…" Sora stepped in front of Tsubasa.

"Are you planning on fighting me, brother-to-brother?"

Sora didn't answer. Everyone just watched as his body began to glow, and then, suddenly, the Millennium Shield shot out of nowhere and levitated in front of the others, protecting them from harm. Everyone stared in shock.

"Whoa, whoa, **WHOA!**" Aira jumped. "That isn't right! When we last fought you, you didn't have that as your Soul Card! You had that really big ant thing!"

"That's the skill that only the both of us have, Aira." Ranile folded his arms. "We have totally flexibility with our souls, with no set forms, unlike the others. That allows us to choose our Soul Cards at our whim."

"H…" Sora blinked. "How do you know that? Not even our parents knew!"

"Well, duh. They never once paid attention to us!" Ranile growled. "They were too busy trying to protect the so-called pharaoh so that he can come again. They never cared for our existance! Not one bit!"

"That's not true." Sora stood. "They always paid attention to you. Gave you all of the attention that you wanted. They never ignored you."

"They have." The phoenix cried in agreement. "They never accepted me in its entirety. They only accepted the part of me that they liked, and shunned the rest. It was as if I had to play a charade this entire time, just to keep their love."

"They did love you." Sora argued. "This entire time. They've always loved you."

"Then tell me why they never once looked at you with love."

THAT threw people out for a loop. Everyone looked at each other as Sora tried to make sense in the question. The room was in dead silence, except for Kaiba trying to push himself out of consciousness. But that really didn't matter for the time being, since they all knew that he was OK.

"H-how do I fit into all of this?" Sora blinked. "Sure, they never loved me…and I never knew why, but I never once hated them for that."

"Yes you have." Ranile grinned. "You hate them…because I hate them."

"What?" Everyone blinked.

"Oh great." Aira started to hold her head. "This is starting to sound like one of those puzzles in that Professor Layton game."

"Aira, try to keep your confusion and fear to yourself." Tsubasa sighed.

"What do you mean…I hate them because you do?" Sora blinked.

"It's just as I say." Ranile said.

All of a sudden, Ranile unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it away, revealing a huge star scar on his chest, red as if it was still a scab waiting to fall off. The girls almost screamed bloody murder, only to realize that Sora's face was huge.

"That scar…"

"I know. You have one just like this." He buttoned his shirt. "From a so-called 'cleansing' ceremony."

"But I was the only one who got that scar." Sora blinked. "How did you get it?"

"It's simple, _brother_." Ranile smiled. "You and I…are one and the same."

Sora's eyes became so wide they almost fell out of their sockets. Behind him, the others were all gawking on the turn of events. The only one who didn't get it, of course, was Aira. She turned to Tsubasa, her hands still to her head.

"I don't get it!" Aira said. "They are the same, since they're, like, identical twins, right?! What's so bad about that?"

"That's not what he meant." Tsubasa looked up. "They're the same…but more than just body and genetics."

"Whoa!" Aira got it. "Like…they're…wha…"

"Yes." Ranile nodded to Aira. "Sora and I…are the same person."

**------**

**(^__^) HUGS FOR EVERYONE!**

**And yes, Aira gets all sarcastic and off-topic when she's scared. That's what I do when I'm scared.**


End file.
